You Don't Know Jack
(But You Should)
Andrew McMahon's piano-pop project rocks Revolution
Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale | June 3rd, 2006
By Rafael Sangiovanni
When singer/pianist Andrew McMahon took the stage at Revolution on June 3, a rip current of fans frantically pushed to get the best view of the 24-year-old baby-faced rocker. Justifiably so–Florida fans of McMahon's project Jack's Mannequin had been waiting almost a year to hear the band live.
With a small grin, McMahon closed his eyes and belted out the lyrics to "Holiday From Real," the first song off his debut album, Everything In Transit: "She thinks I'm much too thin/She asks me if I'm sick." His confident, punky vocals faded into the ocean of voices that immediately began singing along just as passionately.
For the band's loyal fans, this has been a long time coming; they know this concert is only possible today because McMahon is winning a battle with leukemia that nearly killed him a year ago.
It all began with a song called "Locked Doors." Exhausted from months of touring as the front man for the California punks Something Corporate, McMahon and the band went on hiatus in late 2003. McMahon wrote the song around this time and knew it was one that would never see the light of day as a Something Corporate tune. It instead opened the door to Jack's Mannequin. (Ironically, the band name was inspired by the story of a young boy who was diagnosed with cancer.)
McMahon soon began recording more piano-driven, hooky songs for Everything In Transit, a sugar sweet pop-punk album that tells the story of McMahon's awkward return to California, the alienation he felt there and the exploration of a relationship coming to its end.
The album was finished and mastered on May 27, 2005. That was also the day when McMahon got a chilling phone call from the doctor. After examining his hipbone, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia, a rarity for his age.
He would spend the next year in a dual state. On one hand, he was bedridden, coming close to death after he caught pneumonia while in chemotherapy. As for the album and its promotion, for the time being McMahon could only sit back and watch as he recovered.
On the other hand, the album picked up momentum via word of mouth and critical acclaim. It debuted on August 23, 2005 at #37 on the Billboard 200, selling over 22,000 copies in its first week, according to www.last.fm. The first single, "The Mixed Tape" was featured on the WB's One Tree Hill, with McMahon and the band making a brief cameo.
Then came the days when McMahon was finally ready to tour. Flash forward to June 3.
With his intense performance at Revolution, McMahon momentarily vanished the painful past and together with fans cherished the present. He pounded on his piano, standing up and swaying his head between two microphones, and, at one point, slamming his seat on the piano keys, driving the crowd into frenzy.
With dark days fading slowly behind him, McMahon is continuing to tour the nation with O.A.R. Check www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin for tour dates.
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