Andrew McMahon At The Paradise Rock Club – Boston
Photographer: Ilya Mirman
Review by: Patrick Leary
Show Photos: HERE
Andrew McMahon is one of those artists that no matter what band he’s in, or who he’s playing with, people will pay attention; and for good reason. The man has accomplished a lot in his life: selling over a million records with his first band, Something Corporate, followed up by a very successful second act, Jack’s Mannequin, and most importantly, battling and defeating acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Now only 32, McMahon’s current project is his solo-career, which brought him to the Paradise Rock Club for a sold-out show Monday night.
After openers Kate Earl and Erland Wanberg warmed up the packed house with their melodic acoustic rock, McMahon took the stage and assumed position behind his baby grand piano with the same energy he had as a 19-year old punk rock frontman. Backed by his 5-piece band, McMahon jumped right into the Jack’s Mannequin hit, ‘The Resolution’ with a lot of help from the energetic crowd, singing “There’s a lot that I don’t know, there’s a lot that I’m still learning, when I think I’m letting go, I find my body it’s still burning” – very appropriate lyrics for a man who has seen the highest of highs, as well as the lowest of lows.
After a great performance of another JM song, ‘The Mixed Tape,’ the nostalgia started to come out in full force. From a personal standpoint, McMahon was in Something Corporate during my early years of college, and Jack’s Mannequin toward the latter half. So when he broke into SC classics, ‘Me and the Moon’ and then ‘Woke Up in a Car’ in succession, I felt like I was back in my dorm room at Marist College in New York.
The set was a solid mix of songs from both of McMahon’s past bands, as well as a sneak peak at his upcoming solo EP, The Pop Underground, which hits stores April 30. Several highlights included Something Corporate classics ‘Punk Rock Princess’ and ‘Cavanaugh Park,’ as well as Jack’s Mannequin staples ‘Bruised’ and ‘Dark Blue.’
However, no Andrew McMahon set would be complete without the legendary SC emo track ‘Konstantine,’ which highlighted the encore.
Throughout the set I found myself questioning (myself) why I had never seen him live before, as he is truly a wonderful performer with a vast catalog of great songs. Not to mention just knowing what he has been through makes you want to support him more.
For those of you who were there, I hope you enjoyed the show as much as me. For those of you who weren’t, I would definitely recommend picking up tickets to go see Andrew McMahon on tour this Summer with OAR and Allen Stone. They’ll be at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston on July 27th. Hope to see y’all there!
SET LIST
1. The Resolution
2. The Mixed Tape
3. Me and the Moon
4. I Woke Up In A Car
5. Television
6. Learn To Dance
7. Swim
8. Punk Rock Princess
9. Holiday From Real
10. Synesthesia
11. Watch The Sky
12. What Gets You Off
13. Cavanaugh Park
14. Bruised
15. If You C Jordan
16. Dark Blue
Encore
17. There, There Katie
18. Konstantine
19. La La Lie