Marcus Machado Set to Bring His Magic to Boston’s Runway Ball as Headlining Musician

There are artists who play guitar, and then there are artists who were born holding one. Marcus Machado falls squarely—almost mythically—into the second category. “I picked up a guitar at two years old,” he says, almost casually, as though it’s completely normal to become fluent in six strings before learning how to write your name. “I’ve been playing professionally since nine.”

To call him a prodigy doesn’t go far enough—because the word implies a moment, a season, something precocious and fleeting. But Machado didn’t outgrow the label. Instead, he expanded it, stretched it, and redefined it into a lifelong craft. “At thirteen, CNN did a piece on me about being the next child prodigy,” he recalls. “Pretty much I’ve been playing all my life.”

It wasn’t long before the rest of the world caught on. Rolling Stone named him one of its “Next Young Guns”—a rare designation reserved for the guitarists poised to define the next era of music. For most players, that kind of recognition becomes a weight. For Machado, it became a launchpad.

Today, Machado is not just a guitarist—he’s a genre-bending, soul-cutting, world-traveling musician whose playing carries the rawness of rock, the sophistication of jazz, the spirit of soul, the pulse of hip-hop, and the fire of funk. He has toured worldwide, recorded with some of the most respected names in music, released two critically acclaimed albums (Aquarius Purple and Blue Diamonds), and performed everywhere from Europe to Madison Square Garden.

But his next stage will be one of a kind:

The Runway Ball.

The signature event for BostonMan Magazine, Wave + Woven & The 617 Event Group—where fashion, art, and culture collide—has hosted icons, changemakers, and true originals. And this year, one of the most exciting additions to its lineup is a guitarist who sees fashion and music as two sides of the same expressive coin. “Anything to be a part of the runway is always cool,” he says. “I love the clothes. I love meeting new people. And I love putting on a show.”

Machado isn’t just playing the Runway Ball.

He’s about to transform it.

A Life Shaped by Music Before He Could Shape Words

Machado’s story reads like the backstory of the superhero of guitar. A two-year-old picking up a guitar with the kind of instinct most musicians spend decades trying to channel. A nine-year-old playing professionally. A teenager spotlighted on CNN. A young man who never had to find his voice—because he always knew what he wanted to do.

“For me, the best thing I can say is just try to get better with time,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been playing. There’s always something you need to learn.”

Music was never pressure—it was propulsion. His childhood dream wasn’t childish at all. It was his life’s blueprint.

“All I ever wanted to do was play my guitar, travel the world, and play in front of people,” he says. And every step of his career—from childhood stages to global arenas—has felt like a natural evolution of that original spark.

Even when he speaks about touring the world, it’s with humility and awe, never entitlement. “You have to push yourself to really get out there and stand with the big guys,” he says. “And see if you can do it.”

He did.

He still does.

A Career Built Not Just on Talent, But on Fearlessness

Machado’s journey hasn’t been a straight line—it’s been a series of leaps. And he took the first major one before he was old enough to vote.

“When I was 17 or 18, I had the chance to go on tour in Europe with a group called The Family Stand,” he says. “They were like my musical parents.”

The experience changed his life. He didn’t just travel abroad—he lived abroad. He relocated to Amsterdam, absorbed different cultures, worked with musicians from around the world, and learned what it meant to build a career outside of the bubble of home.

“It was before WhatsApp, before FaceTime—this was calling card time,” he laughs. “You really had to figure it out on your own.”

Those years became his true musical education—a global masterclass in sound, culture, and independence.

“I always wanted to see if I could make it outside of where I’m from,” he says. “New York is big, but there’s so much more to the world.”

Europe toughened him, opened him, and expanded the lens through which he saw music. It made him a global artist—not just a local talent with chops.

“That was my university,” he says.

From the National Anthem to Madison Square Garden

When Machado reflects on his career, his memories arrive like highlight reels—big rooms, big names, big moments that shaped him as much as he shaped the music inside them.

At sixteen, he walked out onto an NBA court—Shaq, Penny Hardaway, Gary Payton, and Shawn Kemp watching—to play the National Anthem for the Orlando Magic playoffs. “It was my first time playing in a room full of 30,000 people on NBC,” he says. “And to not be scared—that was cool.”

Then came the world tours.

Then came Madison Square Garden—twice.

The first was the anthem for the Knicks in 2017. The second, in 2023, was the full realization of a lifelong dream: performing a sold-out show with Daniel Caesar.

“There’s a saying in New York: you officially made it once you play the Garden,” Machado says. “That was one of the many highlights of my career.”

To play in front of tens of thousands is one thing. To feel at home there—that’s something else entirely.

Fashion Meets Music: The Evolution of a Stage Presence

Machado isn’t just a musician. He’s a visual performer. His fashion sense is woven into his artistry—it’s part of the language.

“My family says my fashion is based on the mood I’m in,” he says. “Each guitar represents a different vibe. It’s the same with clothes.”

He doesn’t dress to impress—he dresses to express. Not every musician understands that fashion is part of the music. But he does.

“You always gotta look sharp,” he says. “Always look good, always presentable. And it doesn’t mean a suit. Just make it you.”

This philosophy is what makes him such a natural fit for the runway.

Stepping Onto the Runway—Guitar First

Two months ago, Machado walked his very first runway—playing guitar live while models strutted past him. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t expected. But it was unforgettable.

“My friend Ron from Cult of Individuality asked me to walk the runway,” he says. “I never thought about using my guitar to walk down and play a solo.”

But of course it worked. Because it was authentic. Because it was him.

And because fashion shows need energy—and Machado is a conductor of it.

“It’s more hands-on than a regular show,” he explains. “Everything has to be lined up a certain way. You have to create a soundtrack. You’re not just soloing—you’re putting on a whole show.”

He loved it.

He thrived in it.

And now, he’s ready to bring that experience to Boston.

“This is on a higher scale,” he says of the upcoming Runway Ball. “Once I did it two months ago, now I’m going to keep doing it more and more. It’s going to be a thing every year.”

For the Runway Ball—a night defined by spectacle, elegance, artistic risk, and electric energy—Machado is not just a fit.

He’s the missing current.

The Runway Ball Will Never Be the Same

His excitement for Boston is palpable. “I’ve only been there a few times,” he says, “but it’s always a vibe.” He’s performed at City Winery, played the MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park with Daniel Caesar, and now he’s ready for a very different kind of stage.

“The videos I’ve seen—you guys have amazing stuff,” he says. “I’m looking forward to the madness up there.”

The Runway Ball isn’t a concert. It isn’t a runway show. It’s something in between—and something above.

It’s theater.

It’s art.

It’s culture.

It’s energy.

And adding a musician who literally grew up with a guitar fused to his spirit? That’s a recipe for a moment people will talk about long after the lights go down.

The Future: Longevity, Legacy, and Lifting Others Up

For someone who has seen so much and accomplished so much, Machado’s future goals are remarkably grounded—and deeply human.

“To be 80 years old and still playing,” he says. “To inspire others, especially the younger generation coming up.”

He believes in the emotional and transformative power of the guitar—not as a commodity, but as a companion. “There’s so much in the instrument,” he says. “It can make you a totally different person.”

He lives by one simple truth:

“If you stay true to the music, the music will stay true to you.”

That’s why he continues to grow, continues to learn, continues to evolve. It’s why he’s finishing a new record for next year, why he wants to return to Boston soon to play his own show, and why the Runway Ball is not an isolated moment—but the start of a new chapter.