Jacks Mannequin - August 1st, 2009

Show Review/Photos: Jack's Mannequin
Date: August 1st, 2009
Venue: Shoreline Ampitheatre (San Francisco)
Conducted By: James Grant (mailto:%20jamesgrant2009@gmail.com)

Whoever might have said that full-size acoustic pianos don’t belong onstage in bands these days has obviously never seen Jack’s Mannequin live in concert.

Headed by Andrew McMahon, the piano-pounding wunderkind originally of the Southern California piano punk band Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin delivered a powerfully moving performance complete with punk piano-top antics and a killer cover of Tom Petty’s song “American Girl.”

Onstage, McMahon defied the traditional schoolgirl embodiment of the piano, bringing with it a fresh new perspective on true stage presence and musical tenacity. Not only did McMahon show supremacy on the ivory keys, but he also transformed his brown baby grand piano into more than an instrument, using it as a prop, climbing atop at several points during the performance, and ending a few songs by stamping up and down the worn black and white keys.

In the same set, though, Jack’s Mannequin was able to pull the crowd’s poignant side in with slower songs like “Swim” and “Rescued,” from both their debut album Everything In Transit and their sophomore record, The Glass Passenger, which was released in September of 2008. The slower songs showed the band’s ability to capture a sentiment and convey it to the crowd in the slower songs, through sheer fervor that could be heard in McMahon’s voice and seen on all band members’ faces.

Not to be left out, guitarist Bobby ‘Raw’ Anderson’s audacious guitar solo in the cover of Tom Petty’s song “American Girl” got the fans screaming, which was only compelled by McMahon’s keyboard-stomping, drummer Jay McMillen’s flawless beats and bassist Jonathan 'Dr. J' Sullivan’s slick stage presence.

Jack’s Mannequin’s unique sound and onstage presence won’t be forgotten by their fans and will compel the members of the audience who had never heard of them to start listening.


Bandology.net would like to extend a big thank you to Tracy Giang at Warner Bros Publicity for her hard work in coordinating this show review and photo opp. Also, the Shoreline Amphitheater staff was very helpful as well.

James Grant
www.myspace.com/syntheseyesphoto
www.flickr.com/photos/jamesgrant2009
www.twitter.com/jamesgrant2009