Concert Details:
Bands: Andrew McMahon, Bayside
Location: 930 Club, Washington, DC
Setlist:
- No Man is an Island (Jack's Mannequin)
- Mixed Tape (Jack's Mannequin)
- I Woke Up in a Car (Something Corporate)
- She Paints Me Blue (Something Corporate)
- Holiday from Real (Jack's Mannequin)
- Watch the Sky (Something Corporate)
- Synesthesia
- Television (Jack's Mannequin)
- Swim (Jack's Mannequin)
- Punk Rock Princess (Something Corporate)
- What Gets You Off (Jack's Mannequin)
- Learn to Dance
- The Astronaut (Something Corporate)
- The Resolution (Jack's Mannequin)
- Straw Dog (Something Corporate)
- Dark Blue (Jack's Mannequin)
- Bruised (Jack's Mannequin
Encore:
18. Konstantine (Something Corporate)
19. La La Lie (Jack's Mannequin)
I've been listening to Andrew McMahon in some form for almost ten years now starting at the beginning of college with Something Corporate and then Jack's Mannequin when they broke up and first saw Andrew McMahon live with Something Corporate in the Spring of 2005 when they came to my school. I had tickets to see Jack's Mannequin in 2011 and didn't go, which i now regret, and then Jack's Mannequin officially ended. Except, Jack's Mannequin was a band, if it even was really that, that really only ever needed Andrew McMahon to exist, and seeing as half of this show was Jack's Mannequin songs, it could have been called Jack's Mannequin and we wouldn't have known any different, except in this case they played a very large group of songs from the Something Corporate catalogue.
The show started off quietly, which was definitely a smart move, with No Man is an Island a wonderful song, possibly a bit of a ballad, that sounds a bit lamenting but I think is actually hopeful. It was played almost as an intro walk on song, to warm us up and get us ready for Mixed Tape a loud fund song that provokes a rebellious emotion. One thing about every song Andrew McMahon is involved with, at least in my opinion, they all have a specific emotion they are meant to evoke, which in some cases has changed over time, or with long songs, will change over the course of the song.
One wonderful thing about a sold out 9:30 Club show is that it's almost impossible to have a bad crowd, I say almost impossible because earlier this year I did experience one. For a guy like Andrew McMahon, his crowd adores him and generally knows every word to every song, and less than half the way into Mixed Tape the crowd was completely in the show, singing along loudly. Two Something Corporate songs followed that up, the second one She Paints Me Blue is a crowd favorite, and a personal favorite of mine, is played wonderfully. It's a song, that in my mind is meant to evoke the hope and wonder of a new relationship.
After the two songs from Something Corporate, the show drifted into another Jack's Mannequin song followed by a hopeful Something Corporate song before finally playing a new song, Synesthesia, which is a auto-biographical song that is now a lie. Early parts of the song makes reference to his friends winning awards, his friends in this case being Fun., and that he never made a gold record. Since writing the song, a Jack's Mannequin song, Dark Blue went gold, although unfortunately it took 8 years.
Two more Jack's Mannequin songs followed Synesthesia, Television and Swim. The latter being a song about keeping going and at all times making sure to "just keep your head above, swim". I don't know if it's true, but to me the song sounds like it came from a thought Andrew McMahon might have had while he was battling leukemia, something he would want other people to make sure they did, that you need to fight or in this case "swim for your life' and this was his song about contribution to "music that saves you".
A mix of more Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin songs followed before another Andrew McMahon song Learn to Dance which while also fun is not nearly as much fun as Synesthesia. The final two songs of the main set were both Jack's Mannequin songs, one a dance song and one a song of defiance. Dark Blue is the quintessential song to dance to at a concert. The music video itself is even for a marathon dance contest. Bruised was the perfect ending to an amazing first part of the set which was so packed that we weren't even given the chance to breathe, which in this case was a good thing.
The first encore song, Konstantine, is the definition of a ballad and was the song that everyone their that night seemed to be waiting to hear. It's a rather peculiar song as it was never even released in the United States until the greatest hits album until 2010 but has always been a fan favorite. It's well known that Jack's Mannequin was always hesitant and would rarely play it because it's a very long song, but at a show like this you knew it had to come. It's a lamenting song about a girl named Krystal, the K in Konstantine being substituted for the C in how Constantine is normally spelled because of the abnormal spelling of Crystal. Honestly, for me, if had come out and played just that song and walked off the stage I would have been perfectly content, if that gives any indication of how amazing the song is live.
For the finale, he played La La Lie which seems to be his staple closing song, which worked great. About halfway through the show he crowd surfed to the bar and took a shot, either of Jameson or Jägermeister, and crowd surfed back to the stage for the final part and easily one of the show. As he dives back into the song the crowd sang loudly and audibly with him "and i've got friends" before a few more minutes of loud fun playing and the show ended.
The show was perfect, and Andrew McMahon is an artist who I will go to see over and over again, next time being on August 1.
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