Students and members of the community flocked to the Lake Wanaka Centre on Friday evening to attend one of MACs most highly anticipated events of the year.

MACStock is the annual concert put on by the Mount Aspiring College music department. It is typically a rousing night filled with everything from funky jazz licks and warbling acoustics to grunge metal and rock anthems. It’s 2019 show was no exception. The guitars were loud, the voices warm and the crowd prepared for a good night. Well put together set-lists by the head of the music, Mr. Doyle, ensured the night was a success for everyone involved. 

The first of the three sets was a mellow one - not that that means to discount it. It was kicked off by a performance by three younger students covering Sia’s Elastic Heart. Other highlights included a jazz cover of Bury A Friend by Billie Eilish and a piano solo of Bohemian Rhapsody by Caleb Eason. In the latter performance, the crowd added their voices in joyant support.

The second set picked up the pace and many variations of rock blasted from the stage. Among the highlights of this set was that many of the senior music students were using this concert as a chance to be assessed for their live performances. This held the standard at an extremely high level, with covers of Arctic Monkeys Arabella, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Californication and Ocean Alley’s Confidence.

The third and final set took rock anthems and made them harder, faster and undoubtedly louder. After a stunning performance by the 8th Dimension Jazz Ensemble of Britney spear’s Toxic, the set had two original songs which were a pleasant mix of grunge and metal. Following this performance, the music dived back in the direction of covers including a range of songs from Six60 to the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chilli Peppers,  all blasting beautifully from the stage. The night was capped off well by DJ K-bars, an up and coming grom, whose true identity was concealed by the volumes of stage smoke surrounding him and the large group of older youth who got up on stage and danced.

The entire night was an incredible success. An enjoyable time for young and old, performers and spectators alike. I would just like to thank the head of the music department Mr Doyle and his team for putting the whole night together.  

Mr Mathew Doyle, would also like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who pitched in at MACStock this year. "We would be lost without the kind volunteers who put their hand up every year. The students are still buzzing after what can only be described as a very successful evening".