By Melissa Wood
It may be slightly controversial, but I genuinely believe that Andrew McMahon is the unofficial-official ‘piano man’ of the millennial generation. For the uninitiated, Andrew McMahon is a man of many talents: impassioned vocalist, a masterful storyteller, a devoted parent, and perhaps most conspicuously, the spitting definition of a piano man. As of today, McMahon’s career has spanned over two decades across multiple bands and projects including Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, and thus has acquired a considerable fanbase- of which I proudly count myself among.
From the first moment I experienced what I call ‘soul ascension’ while listening to Jack’s Mannequin’s ‘Dark Blue’ on a car ride home from school with my sister during grade school, to the angst-ridden days of middle school where Something Corporate’s ‘Cavanaugh Park’ served as my quasi-therapy, to my first concert at Jack’s Mannequin’s 10 Years in Transit Tour in 2015 as a high school freshman, McMahon’s music has intricately woven itself into the fabric of my adolescence. With time, my love for McMahon’s music only grew, and in my later teen years, it served as a common point of connection for me to relate to my older siblings- a remarkable feat considering they averaged about 9 years older than me.
Although McMahon was a prominent figure in my family, he did not quite garner the same popularity among my peers in school. That is not to imply he was entirely underground, especially considering how his career-defining hit “Cecilia and the Satellite,” slipped ‘into the airwaves’ all across the nation. Nevertheless, I seemed to be the only one guilty of exhausting his entire discography ten times over.
Pre-Concert
Flash forward to 2022, my first year back to college after a much-needed two-year break. That year, I joined WVUD, where I met a group of friends who were also hyper-fixated with their favorite music genres and artists as I was including my now-good friend Gretchen, who also happened to be an avid McMahon fan. I still remember the day she mentioned his name. She said he was hosting a concert in Philly the following November, but expressed hesitation on going due to the ticket prices. It was at this point that the floodgates opened for me. I gushed to her that I had seen him in concert before, and how he puts on a good show every time without fail. In other words, he’s worth the money if you’re into his music. However, I don’t think I swayed her opinion by saying this, which was honestly understandable.
Another time jump to October of 2023. During the summer, I had foregone many concerts that I wanted to attend in the name of saving money for school and rent the following year. While doing this was necessary, I still found myself bummed that I had missed out on potentially unforgettable life experiences. Thus, I decided to throw caution to the wind and purchase a ticket to McMahon’s show in November. My original plan was to purchase a ticket for myself, and later see if I could convince Gretchen to get one, and if all else failed, I would go by myself. Nothing could have been better than the outcome that had happened though. Upon purchasing my ticket for the concert, I spied a little drop-down below the checkout button. Lo and behold, there was a promotion for LiveNation’s Summer of Friends event with the option to get 2-for-1 tickets. To say this was an easy decision would be an understatement- it was more of a no-brainer. At this moment, I felt like I was getting my go-ahead from the universe, and I giddily purchased two tickets to see The Mans in Philly. What made this stroke of luck even better was that Gretchen happened to be celebrating her 21st birthday just a couple of days after I bought these tickets. Now I had a legit present other than a bottle of wine to give her, at no additional cost to me. I guess you could say I was high on the deal, an economically stable ecstasy that lasted up until the night of the concert.
Concert
Before I knew it, Thanksgiving break had rolled around, and it was time for the concert. While getting through traffic was minimally painless, the parking situation was nerve-wracking. As I always like to say, it’s not a concert in Philadelphia without parking in a sketchy parking lot situated underneath a highway, and proceeding to walk around for 30 minutes looking for the parking monitor, because he operates out of his car. This is the official experience of parking at the Fillmore in Philadelphia.
Our friendship bracelets with songs MFEO (Jack’s Mannequin song) and Synesthesia (Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness song)
After a couple of hours of waiting in line, the doors finally opened and everyone started filing through security. I think it was at this moment that I gained genuine excitement coursing through my veins. It had been about five years since I had last seen McMahon and a reunion was overdue.
One thing that I feel obligated to touch on is the sheer beauty the Fillmore exudes. Sure, it may be a smaller venue, as it comfortably seats around 2,500, but that certainly doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in quality. Just looking at the way mood lighting sparkles through the chandeliers on the ceiling is enough to take your breath away. Seriously, every time I go to the Fillmore, I am instantly reminded as to why so many locals speak very highly of it. It truly is a beautiful place. Since we were so early in line, Gretchen and I were able to snag the very front row, which proved to be very useful throughout the night, as we were able to rest our coats on the railing and have something to lean on as well.
Of course, like any other concert, there were a couple of openers before the main act. Being somewhat of a seasoned concertgoer, I can safely say that not all openers are created equally. Fortunately for us, both of the openers were what I can only call pleasant surprises. The first opener was a band called Wildermiss, a synth-kissed indie pop band with something of a dream haze flare, and the second opener was Michigander, a rock-based soloist project whose raw vocals make you feel like taking a spontaneous road trip across the country.
Wildermiss (left) and Michigander (right)
Eventually, the time had come for the main man to perform: Andrew McMahon that is. The concert started with a slower yet effective song: “Nobody Tells You When You’re Young.” Better yet, McMahon made this an intimate moment as he started in the crowd, eventually weaving his way through it, and making his way on stage. The next song that McMahon played was “I Woke Up in a Car” an upbeat piano-bopper that pumped more than enough musical dopamine for old and new fans alike. I mean seriously, it’s physically impossible not to groove to that song.
Of course, after the crowd was riled up and ready for some more action, the Mans chose to slow it down with “Stars” a glittering song with a backing track straight from the patterns of the aurora borealis, and then picked it right back up with the melodic earworm that is “Fire Escape,” only to continue the crowd to infinity (pun intended) with “Last Rites.” Up next were “Bruised,” and “Me and the Moon,” a couple more nostalgic throwbacks that I was elated to hear, especially the latter. As I’ve stated before, Andrew McMahon is an eloquent storyteller who has a way of hooking listeners with the first couple of lines, and “It’s a good year for a murder/ She’s praying to Jesus/ She’s pulling the trigger” is no exception to this claim.
After that were “Paper Rain” “The Resolution (Jack’s Mannequin Cover),” and “Smoke and Ribbons.” I have to say, I was smiling ear to ear when I heard the intro to “Paper Rain” because it is considerably one of my favorite songs within McMahon’s newer discography. Of course, my heart melted a little when McMahon sang “The Resolution” as that was one of my brother’s self-proclaimed personal favorites from Glass Passenger and one of mine as well. “Smoke and Ribbons” was also a neat experience because special guest Cecelia McMahon (McMahon’s daughter!) was brought on stage to help him sing, a touching moment sweet enough to make anyone tear up.
Next on the setlist were “Hurricane (Something Corporate Cover),” “High Dive,” and “Skywriting.” Now I think I can speak for everyone when I say that “Hurricane,” is a perfect whirlwind of swirling teenage angst, laid in a solid hypnotic rock beat that demands to be moved which the crowd undoubtedly did. In addition, “High Dive,” a preppy yet poignant song about the uncertainty of love, and “Skywriting,” a newer song off of Tilt at the Wind No More only added to the hype of the crowd as they blared through the speakers.
Up next, was a special segment of the show that I was personally excited for what I dubbed “Friendship Karaoke.” For those who are unaware, as the New Friends tour was taking place, McMahon held a little social media contest where fans could send in a video of themselves singing one of their favorite songs, and whoever got picked from each city would be able to go that night, and sing on stage alongside McMahon, which I thought was such a cool inclusion into the show. For the Philly show, the winner ended up being a lovely woman named Sabrina Beth, who sang “La La Lie (Jack’s Mannequin Cover),” a catchy harmonica-based melody about the power of friendship… or so I think. Sometimes, I feel as if this song has multiple interpretations.
To supplement the chaos, halfway through this piano-harmonica teetering tune, McMahon whipped out an inflatable unicorn and proceeded to crowd surf, as Sabrina’s voice graced the audience with the second verse. At this point, Gretchen and I were more or less losing our sanity, as the sight of McMahon on a giant unicorn was one of the most comical views of the night.
To finish the main setlist, McMahon closed out with “Rainy Girl,” “Watch the Sky (Something Corporate Cover),” “The Mixed Tape (Jack’s Mannequin Cover),” and “Cecelia and the Satellite.” In following the pattern akin to an emotional rollercoaster, it made sense that McMahon would subside to the slow and sweet ballad of “Rainy Girl” directly after the crowd surfing. I will say that I was surprised to hear “Watch the Sky,” but by no means disappointed, as I have no real complaints concerning it. I could have gone without “The Mixed Tape,” but I realize this is a pretty hot take, as it is one of Jack’s more well-known songs. Don’t get me wrong, I am not claiming it to be a bad song in any capacity because a.) there’s no such thing as a bad song on Everything in Transit and b.) it is a good song. I’m just saying it’s not my favorite. Nevertheless, I still sang my lungs out to it. Of course, to finish the main show, McMahon performed “Cecelia and the Satellite,” which has been his most successful release to date. He even brought out his daughter once again to help him sing, which would have done some real damage if it were possible to go into cardiac arrest from witnessing purely wholesome events… all of us would have been goners.
An excellent concert is not complete without a memorable encore, and needless to say, this was nothing short of that, as it began with “New Friends,” a fun little number about starting fresh within a relationship hot from Tilt at the Wind No More started to pump through the crowd. As sort of a grand finale to the spirit of the New Friends tour, McMahon brought out his daughter and all of the opening acts with him on stage to accompany him.
Finally, to end off the night, McMahon had inevitably saved an all-time fan favorite for last: “Dark Blue (Jack’s Mannequin Cover).” This ended the show on a high note, as it is considerably Jack’s most popular song, and for good reason. With its powerful imagery of the way love can overtake you like a tidal wave, and its catchy beat, its inclusion is merely a must at this point for a McMahon concert- many fans would leave disappointed if it was not to be performed.
Post-Concert
At the conclusion of the concert, Gretchen and I ended up staying well into clean up to try and obtain a little memento from the stage. I was not necessarily looking for anything in particular, but I know Gretchen was hoping for anything that she could get. Luckily, she snagged a guitar pick which we later got Bobby Anderson, McMahon’s guitarist and former Something Corporate band member, to sign. As for the merch, while I did buy a shirt, I was a little disappointed to see that there were no shirts with the tour dates available. Leading up to the concert, one fantasy that I had was that the merch table would have a lavender shirt with teal, yellow, and dark pink paint splatters and the words “New Friends Tour” or something to that effect on the front and tour dates on the back available, which I know was a little far-fetched, but I still think it would have been an awesome design.
All in all, I would say that the show ran well, and all performances looked and sounded amazing. I have said it many times before, and I will continue to say it: McMahon knows how to put on a live performance. If anything, I would have made changes to the setlist, exchanging “Skywriting” for “Submarine,” switching out “The Mixed Tape” for “I’m Ready,” and including Something Corporate’s “Konstantine” somewhere in the show. Am I aware that the last inclusion is completely ludicrous and would never happen? Yes, I am, but it does not matter. I will die on this hill. For those who do not know, “Konstantine” is a beautiful nine-and-a-half-minute love song that is essentially a cult classic within McMahon’s fanbase. From my understanding, “Konstantine” is never performed because it’s too lengthy. Also, at this point, if McMahon were to surprise an audience with it on a random night, he would never hear the end of it, and he would have to play it every night. From this standpoint, I understand his decision to abstain from the song, but still, in my perfect (and slightly selfish) world, “Konstantine” would have been on the setlist. Additionally, I know that Gretchen said she would have preferred “Lying on the Hood of Your Car” to be included in the setlist, as that is her favorite track off Tilt at the Wind No More.