By WILL RATH
Pop-punk is a rich business. So, it's not surprising that faux-emo piano outfit Jack's Mannequin sold out at the Beaumont Club last Friday.
Vedera, an alternative-pop band from Blue Springs, Missouri, opened up the show with five or six Cranberries-esque ballads that reeked of 90's confessional girl rock. I imagine lyrics like I don't want to deny my heart it's chance to feel / I don't want to deny my soul something real coming together in a pink diary, probably written in neon Jelly Pen while thinking about how awesome Jewel used to be before she sold out.
Lead singer Kristen May was lighthearted and enthusiastic throughout
the set, bouncing around on stage while trying to warm up the crowd
with hand claps. She switched between guitar and piano throughout the
set, but the defining characteristic of Vedera's sound were May's
powerful, melodramatic vocals.
Fun.,with their catchy choruses and sugary, synth heavy indie feel, provided
a refreshing (but brief) interlude to a very predictable evening.
Frontman Nate Reuss--formerly of The Format--won
my admiration early into the set by producing a flask between the first
few songs. Touring with Jack's Mannequin to promote their latest album,
Aim and Ignite, the band was not named in vain - the
dance-tastic, feel-good anthems were mainstream enough to fit with the
other acts, but not familiar enough to be old news. And they almost
conquered the bullshit acoustics of the Beaumont club.
Jack's
Mannequin was everything you would expect from a veteran emo band from
southern California: totally underwhelming. Lead singer Andrew McMahon
was like an unconvincing robot on stage, either dramatically pointing
off into the distance or standing on and jumping off of his piano for
no apparent reason (and to little effect). Most of his songs were about
girls or California or pianos or cancer.
Twelve years of songwriting experience, and McMahon is still singing
about his piano? If you're going to sing about your instrument then you
should probably be doing something extraordinary with it--not pounding
out cookie-cutter emo anthems.
After
about three songs, the teenage body heat became unbearable (and a
little creepy), so I relocated to back of the venue. It felt right to
be sulking in the back with the arms-crossed crowd as McMahon and his
band played through most of their two studio albums. Like Vedera, the
band reproduces their studio work well on stage but leaves much to be
desired in the way of live entertainment.
A fan of rambling speeches between songs (it's the Beaumont, nobody
can understand you), McMahon unconvincingly promised one last song -
"Made For Each Other." In a particularly canned action that mimicked
much of their set, the band left the stage in an obligatory exit, and
McMahon returned for a solo performance of "Swim." The whole band
finished with "La La Lie," topped off by McMahon on harmonica.
Contrivedor not, the crowd didn't care - people were yelling and dancing up
until the few remaining seconds of the last song. There was even a
drunk guy hugging people towards the back of the venue. Audiences don't
always want emotional depth or musical virtuosity - they want to shake
their asses, and know that someone else out there shares their
frustration. And if ticket sales are any indicator, there are a lot of
people who find exactly that in Jack's Mannequin.
Setlist:
1. I'm
Ready
2. The
Resolution
3. The
Mixed Tape
4. In
Slow Motion
5. Last
Straw
6.
Spinning
7. Hammer
and Strings (A Lullaby)
8.
Holiday from Real
9.
Bruised
10. Dark
Blue
11. Miss
California
12.
Diane, The Skyscraper
13.
Bloodshot
14. Made
For Each Other
Encore:
15. Swim
16. La La
Lie
Showing 1-11 of 11
Jack's Mannequin is not emo, The Promise Ring is emo music. I find it funny, yet sad that a self proclaimed "music critic" can't even figure out what genre of music is playing right in front of him. That's like sending a sports writer to a game and he comes back with the wrong score.
To also say that he only "writes about his piano" is ignorant. The man has put together two stellar records from a lyrical point of view.
You say all these photos are akward, but the fact is your photography skills are about as good as your music critiquing. Next time, instead of taking sloppy, motion blurred photos...bump up the shutter speed, you might actually do something good for once.
Well, I'll try to keep this short.
As someone who was raised on classic rock, it took a long time for Jack's Mannequin to ever show up on *my* radar screen. As someone who's record collection is stocked with bands like The Who, Rush, Porcupine Tree, and Dream Theater, the mere thought of a band like JM showing up on my sacred prog/hard rock radar screen was absurd...until I got off my hard-rock-high-horse and opened up my ears for awhile.
I literally had the record "Everything In Transit" on my iPod for months before I gave it a good listen. Finally, after listening to my same ole favorites hundreds of times (I travel for a living, mind you) I finally gave in and listened to it. If you are waiting for me to tell you that one listen was all it took for me to have a JM Epihany� then you should keep waiting. It took several listens.
Eventually it began to grow on me (namely the driving percussion provided by Tommy Lee...as a drummer that is the first thing I listen for...good beats.) So I went out and bought "The Glass Passenger" and I was duly rewarded.
I don't hope to change the author's opinion on Jack's Mannequin...the mere fact that he enjoyed "Fun" (who most certainly were not) leads me to question his sanity. I went to the souvenir stand and the bar during their set, if I recall. I may have texted (gasp!) and checked some sports scores at that time as well.
My point is, Andrew McMahon is a blossoming musician, singer, and songwriter who I think will eventually be held (at least in some circles) as a modern-day Billy Joel. Not in direct comparison per-se, but in general. Great skill on the keys, a very talented vocalist, and someone who clearly believes in his music and treating his audience. Not only that, but much like Joel was at the peak of his career, McMahon is backed by a superb band. Despite McMahon's previous songwriting experience in earlier bands, keep in mind JM has only put forth two official albums, and McMahon himself is still relatively young.
So while Jay McMillan (JM's drummer) or Bobby Raw (JM's guitarist) may not rate as high in my book at Neil Peart or Pete Townshend respectively, they still have earned my respect as well. I wish I could convey to you all what a huge break in my musical tastes it is to invest the time I have in listening to JM, much less driving 4hrs from St. Louis to see them in person.
I won't bemoan the author for his opinions (or the poor photography skills that netted the awkward and slanted photos). I guess you are the real loser, my friend. My experience at the Beaumont Club was pleasant, and I greatly enjoyed the show. Oh, and the performers made some money most likely. So....uhh....I guess we win?
Cheers.
-KD
Dicks like you really irritate me. If you think he's simply singing about his piano and nothing beyond that, you are an absolute idiot.
Jack's Mannequin / something corporate is a band that I have followed for the last 10 years. I have enjoyed everything Andrew McMahon has produced and while the writer of this article may not have enjoyed the music you neglected to note that he puts on the best show that he can. To criticize someone for writing songs about their experiences with a life adulterating sickness is just messed up. He is still young at heart and writes songs that the young at heart can relate too. Keep in mind that the people who attended that sold out show intended to have a great time and it sounds like you took a ticket from someone who would have loved to have seen the band play what was probably a great show. Some advice... stay home next time and forget about writing a report because no one listens to this bullshit.
Go fuck yourself
The Listen to better music education society presents:
What to listen to instead of Jack's Mannequin?
Answer: Wax Mannequin
I'm not sure if it's the same folks, but my friend and I had a ridiculous run-in with security at The Beaumont club before they did renovations. Ridiculous to the point that they were verbally assaulting my friends girlfriend in very sexual and inappropriate manor. Altercation ensued, we were thrown out and my friend still refuses to go there...
It sounds like they are still a bunch of pricks there.
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