During a special event at Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Mayor Justin Bibb declared August 13 to be Machine Gun Kelly Day.
The event, which took place last Saturday (August 13) marked the opening of a new MGK exhibition that features several of the born-again punk rocker’s personal items – among them are his ‘Tickets To My Downfall’ outfit and Schecter PT Model electric guitar.
As part of proceedings, Bibb handed MGK – real name Colson Baker – a framed celebratory document in front of the artist’s own 27 Club Coffee shop.
In a post to Instagram, Baker (who hails from Cleveland) shared a video of the moment, in which Bibb is heard saying: “Four years ago, I met MGK, and I didn’t know that someone could love the city of Cleveland as I did. But he does, and so today is officially ‘Machine Gun Kelly Day’.” The caption alongside Baker’s post read: “These are happy tears.”
On his own Instagram account, Bibb shared a photo of the pair, adding: “We’re Cleveland till we die.”
The honour was awarded to Baker just hours before he took to the stage for a hometown show at FirstEnergy Stadium, coming as part of his ‘Mainstream Sellout’ tour. In a four-star review of the titular album, NME‘s Ali Shutler said the album “is no complacent victory lap”.
“‘Mainstream Sellout’ is driven by a relatable sense of angst and its outsider anthems will continue to speak to the millions who see Machine Gun Kelly as the saviour of punk rock.”