LIVE REVIEW: MGK AT THE O2 ARENA, LONDON 05/03/26
Photo: Sam Cahill
mgk (born Colson Baker and formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly) brought the Lost Americana Tour to the The O2 Arena on 5 March 2026, a night that the 17,000 fans in attendance are unlikely to forget anytime soon.
The American singer could hardly contain his excitement at selling out the O2 Arena, a milestone he told the crowd he had dreamed about for years and had even manifested back in 2020. Early in the show, he paused to take in the moment and address the audience. “If you’re in this building tonight, this is very special. You only get to sell out the O2 for the first time once. This is ours. This one is for us.”
He then attempted to show the crowd a video from six years ago in which he predicted the moment, saying: “One day I’m gonna get booked at the O2 and I’m gonna sell that sh*t out.” Just six years later, that dream has become reality.
The evening opened with American singer Julia Wolf, who immediately electrified the arena. Despite performing on a relatively small stage setup, she managed to warm up the massive crowd with ease. She kicked off her set with the powerful track ‘Loser’, keeping the energy high until a few songs later when she introduced ‘Jennifer’s Body’, dedicating it to Megan Fox, who stars in the film of the same name - a shoutout that felt particularly fitting given that Fox and mgk welcomed their first child together less than a year ago.
Wolf also delivered a heavier rendition of ‘DOG HOUSE,’ her collaboration with Drake, before closing her set with the heartbreaking ‘In My Room’. She ended by wishing the crowd a great night before handing things over to the evening’s headliner.
mgk began his set, which stretched to more than 30 songs, shortly before 9pm, opening with ‘outlaw overture’ the intro track from his latest album LOST AMERICANA, as he shouted to the crowd: “Are you ready for the best night of your f*cking life?” He emerged dramatically from the mouth of a giant Statue of Liberty prop positioned at the centre of the stage with a cigarette in its hand.
He followed with ‘starman’, removing his jacket halfway through the song to a deafening reaction from the crowd. Moments later, fireworks erupted from the mouth of the statue where he had been standing just seconds before, an explosive start to what would become an action-packed evening.
The arena erupted again when he launched into a mashup of ‘Maybe’, ‘Wild Boy’ and ‘el Diablo’. The evening also highlighted two standout moments from his band: a blistering guitar solo from British guitarist Sophie Lloyd, who has been part of mgk’s touring band since his last tour and is widely known online, and a powerful drum solo from longtime collaborator JP Cappelletty, better known as Rook.
The night continued seamlessly until the rapper invited fans on stage to join him for ‘bloody valentine’, a track produced by Blink-182’s drummer Travis Barker. During the performance, an unfortunate fan fell off the stage due to the stage layout. Despite being momentarily tied up as part of the show’s staging, mgk immediately tried to help, while other fans assisted her as well. Thinking quickly, he even changed the lyrics from “I can’t hide how I feel about you inside” to “I really hope that you’re fine.”
At the end of the song, he embraced the fan, telling her it was “the coolest thing anyone has ever done,” before giving her one of his hats, something he said meant a lot to him. The moment served as a touching reminder of Baker’s kindness and attentiveness toward his fans.
Later in the show, the singer moved to a B-stage located in the middle of the arena, where he performed stripped-back acoustic versions of several songs. During this section, he surprised the audience with a clever mashup cover of two iconic British classics: ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay and ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles.
A few songs after returning to the main stage, mgk welcomed his longtime friend Pete Davidson to perform ‘roll the windows up’ together, a song inspired by ‘Smoke and Drive’ by Mike Posner that mgk wrote during lockdown and which was not originally on the tour’s setlist. The surprise appearance sent the arena into another frenzy.
The mood then shifted during ‘play this when i’m gone,” an emotional track the artist wrote for his now 16-year-old daughter, Casie Baker. While he performed, screens around the arena displayed videos of the rapper and his daughter together over the years, highlighting the deep bond they share. Casie was in attendance that night and later joined her father on stage.
During the encore, both Casie and Pete Davidson returned to the stage at the end of ‘sweet coraline’, much to the delight of the crowd. mgk then closed the night with ‘vampire diaries’, before taking a moment to thank his production team and everyone involved in the tour for helping create a safe and welcoming space for fans.
Throughout the night, mgk held the entire arena in the palm of his hand with an electrifying performance packed with emotion, surprises, fireworks and standout musical moments. In front of 17,000 fans, he proved not only what an incredible performer he is, but also the humility and sincerity that have earned him such a devoted following.
And as he said at the very beginning of the show, it truly was a special and magical night for everyone inside the arena.