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Concert Review
Artist: Jack’s Mannequin
Venue: Sound Academy
Date: January 31st, 2012
Reviewed and photographed by Sarah Rix
The truth of the matter is, I haven’t paid much attention to Jack’s Mannequin since exiting my adolescence. Andrew McMahon and company’s debut album, Everything in Transit, was released in 2005, during the start of my high school years. I forget how I first heard of the band, but I do know songs like “The Mixed Tape,” “Dark Blue” and “La La Lie” were on heavy iPod rotation. But upon graduation five years ago, they slipped from my memory, a casualty to my changing (some might even say evolving) tastes.
What Tuesday night’s set proved was that perhaps I was too quick to dismiss the Orange County-formed band. Granted, the four-piece’s appeal skews to the teenage demographic and yes, loud girlish screaming was constant throughout the night, but all that aside, Jack’s Mannequin know how to put on a show and engage their audience.
The four-piece of McMahon, Bobby “Raw” Anderson (guitar), Jay McMillian (drums) and Mikey “The Kid” Wagner (bass) held attentive ears and made good use of their time on stage, showcasing old favourites alongside new material from 2011’s People and Things. Both the old and new flowed well together, presenting a seamless transition that few bands are capable of pulling off.
Formed in 2004, vocalist and pianist McMahon — also known as the frontman for Something Corporate — has an interesting back-story that inarguably influenced the projection of Jack’s Mannequin and their song style. Diagnosed with leukemia in the summer of 2005, McMahon went on to make a full recovery, starting the Dear Jack Foundation in July 2006 with the goal to raise money for cancer research. The result has been a song range that deals with the idea of loss and pain and the joys of daily life and love.
While there’s a certain repetition to the Jack’s Mannequin formula — namely: power chords, pretty piano accompaniment and catchy, commanding lyrics — it’s a formula that people just can’t get enough off and fan enthusiasm informed the presentation just as much as song selection did. Whether McMahon (who takes much of the band’s spotlight) was seated behind his piano, singing into two microphones, or seated next to the crowd, singing a slower, acoustic number, people loved it and made that very clear. It was also all quite celebratory, save for McMahon’s “Last Straw” introduction and rant against George W. Bush.
“You guys have been a fricking amazing audience,” McMahon said towards the end of the night, echoing similar praise from earlier on in the set. So maybe the secret is, when you’re a good-looking dude with an emo haircut, it’s hard to disappoint a crowd of teenagers whose adolescence you sum up so well in song. With the final song, “La La Lie” and the launching of confetti into the air, the elation of the audience was palpable. It must be nice to have fans that enthralled.
Setlist
Release Me
The Mixed Tape
Annie Use Your Telescope
Spinning
Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die)
Holiday From Real
Amy, I
Kill The Messenger
The Resolution
Casting Lines
Bloodshot
Television
Last Straw
Swim
Bruised
My Racing Thoughts
Dark Blue
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Restless Dreams
Hammers And Strings (A Lullaby)
La La Lie
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PuSh Festival
