Jack’s Mannequin Gives Palace Theatre a Raw and Dazzling Saturday Night
It's hot. Hotter than hot. Some people in the country may think that 90+ degrees is normal, but up here in Minneapolis, it's not normal, and it's quite miserable. I live up here to avoid heat because, frankly, I just don't do well in it. Still, here we are back-to-back 90+ degree days. It has me wanting to just sit inside in the air conditioning, but that's not an option when they are so many live shows to go see, so I sucked it up, filled up my water bottle with nothing but ice, knowing that it would start melting the second I left my house, and headed to The Palace Theatre in downtown Saint Paul. The walk from the car to the venue had me sweating, but the second I got into the beautiful theatre, I no longer cared because I knew I was about to be treated to a beautiful night of music where the unbearable heat wouldn't matter, all that would matter was the music and the feeling said music was giving me.
Yoke Lore was the only opening act for Saturday night at The Palace Theatre. It's a name that I was extremely familiar with, and I would have put money on the fact that I had seen them perform before, but alas, when I dig into the backlog of my blog, I do not see any posts about them. Even if I had covered them before, their set surely didn't hit me in the same way it did on Saturday. Frontman Adrian Galvin was a force on Saturday night. It wasn't just the way that he made the banjo more of a rock n' roll kind of instrument with the way he was flailing around with it, but it was his entire aura. It bled energy and passion but also had a tender touch, which brought a feeling of raw emotion to the explosive set.
Joined on stage by two other band members, I loved how into the music the band was because I felt like it gave the audience a chance to not just see them perform but also feel them perform. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of the packed audience had never heard of Yoke Lore before this set but left as a die-hard fan, if only because of the amazing way Yoke Lore connects with anyone who sees or hears them live. Although clearly rock stars, every member on stage came across as very down-to-earth, with a warm feeling that I just couldn't quite put my finger on but absolutely wanted more of. Call Yoke Lore indie pop, call them folk-pop, call them whatever you want. They killed it on Saturday night, and I really hope they keep their promise to come back to the Twin Cities soon.
The way the headlining act, Jack's Mannequin, started their set had me all in my feelings. Their set began with a video narrated by frontman (and musical genius) Andrea McMahon, accompanied by footage of the band's life, which dates back to 2004. Seeing this footage took me back. It took me back to the nights I spent at The House of Bricks in Des Moines, Iowa, watching bands like Jack's Mannequin and other acts from the early 2000s. It brought back the taste of late-night Perkins runs with the bands and the smell of cheap booze and cigarettes that came with every band van back in that day. This is a long story, and one not meant for this blog, but, long story short, this intro took me back and set the stage for the reunion of Jack's Mannequin.
Jack's Mannequin started as the solo project of Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon. Their sound was definitely more tender than the piano-rock vibe of Something Corporate, so Jack's Mannequin wasn't my favorite band back in the day. I was too restless for their heartfelt tracks and preferred screaming over dazzling vocals, so I didn't really understand the importance of this band until much later in life, but when it hit, it hit me hard so to be able to celebrate twenty years of their iconic 'Everything In Transit' album was nothing short of a dream come true.
Throughout the set, I got to hear all of my favorites from that album and then some. The band played some B-sides and focused on songs that didn't get the love they deserved. However, it wasn't hearing those nostalgia-filled songs that left me so in love and near tears when I left the show; it was Andrew McMahon and his band. Andrew has been through hell and back and has done it in a fairly public eye if you were watching. Just before the release of 'Everything in Transit,' McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia and fought for his life while keeping a blog up to date so everyone could follow his triumphs and tribulations alongside him. Although this is nothing new these days, I feel like back in 2005, when this all went down, it was a fairly new thing to be so open and transparent on the internet, especially for a celebrity. It brought a sense of intimacy to this band that never quite went away and was on display on Saturday night.
Don't get me wrong, there were a million smiles and laughs shared throughout the evening at The Palace Theatre, but it was those moments when Andrew got raw with the audience and his bandmates that really left me dazzled. Seeing such an iconic musician be so honest and transparent with an audience just made my life, and it's something that I wish more musicians would take the time to do because, in the end, it makes the music hit a bit harder and deeper.
I know that Jack's Mannequin isn't a household name. Heck, there are some people who probably never rocked out to Something Corporate songs back in the day and have no clue who Andrew McMahon is, but for those who know and for those who made it out to this show, it was a stunning display of the legend that he is.
