Jack’s Mannequin: Beaumont Club, Kansas City, MO 1/20/12

After more than a decade, dozens of releases, a personal battle with cancer and touring relentlessly, Andrew McMahon should be ready to settle down as a retiree on a Florida golf course at the ripe old age of 29. But he’s not. His band, Jack’s Mannequin, brought its unrivaled energy to Kansas City’s Beaumont Club in support of their latest album People and Things.

The almost-sold out crowd of both old school and new fans alike trekked out into the single digit chill to see McMahon and band heat the room up. The show started with “The Mixed Tape” from 2005’s Everything in Transit inspiring the 90-minute performance of passionate sing-alongs—enough to make this late twenty-something ready for retirement herself.

The paper lanterns and lamps, coupled with a ginormously blinding disco ball on stage made the cavernous, concrete and metal-laden Beaumont Club seem intimate and cozy. (The hundreds of sweaty teens and young adults also made the club seem cozy, but in a much more disgusting way.)

At some point, technology has taken over people’s brains and it seemed like people were more interested in snapping photos of themselves than watching the show. It was obvious when the single from the most-recent album was played, eliciting the greatest crowd response. Except for the collective “Fuck Yeah” during “Holiday from Real”, which warms my heart.

Jack’s Mannequin played songs spanning its entire catalog, and even fulfilled a request to play b-side “No Man is an Island” so a fan could propose to his girlfriend in the front row. McMahon’s talent as a songwriter and pianist prevailed throughout the set and he never missed a beat. Not even while violently thrusting at the piano during particularly passionate moments in his autobiographical songs.

After more than an hour of playing, the band exited stage left, only to return moments later for the obligatory encore. As McMahon gave his final thanks and goodbyes, he gave a special shout out to the impeding disco ball saying “I can’t believe we got that fucker in here.”

Setlist:

The Mixed Tape, Release Me, Annie Use your Telescope, Spinning, Amy, I, Holiday From Real, Television, The Resolution, Glass Passenger, My Racing Thoughts, No Man is an Island (solo), Platform Fire, Kill the Messenger, I’m Ready, Bruised

Encore

Swim, Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby),La La Lie, Dark Blue

Related Content

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter