Current Song Stuck in Head: Jack's Mannequin - The Resolution

Last night, I went to my first real concert, which just so happened to be the dual tour of two of my favorite bands, both of whom I've been listening to since seventh grade: Jack's Mannequin and Guster.  Never had I ever fathomed that the two would play together, as they seem to attract such different crowds.  So, as you can imagine, my reaction went a little like this:

I couldn't find a jumping up and down in your desk chair gif, but I can assure you I did all three actions!  Anyway, I immediately hopped on those tickets and prepped myself by listening continuously to Jack's Mannequin, Guster, and Ra Ra Riot (their opening band) for a month.

Last night I got to the gates while Ra Ra Riot was on (I unfortunately got delayed and missed most of their act :( ).  Much to my dismay, it wasn't very crowded, and I dejectedly but resolutely hoped that more people would show up to support Jack's Mannequin.  After Ra Ra Riot, Jack's Mannequin came on, and Andrew McMahon's passion did not disappoint.  He is such an incredible pianist and it's evident how much he loves his music and how much he puts into it--his movements were completely influenced by the music his band was playing, you could tell.  Ah, his passion gets me so.  In a guy, that gets me more than anything.  If a guy is uncontrollably passionate about something (especially if it's music, I want to say), he's already nearly won me over.  As I hoped, more people showed up and the Festival Pier ended up being packed.  Andrew expressed his gratitude to all of us (Philadelphia) for always being the most supportive group, which warmed my heart.  Oh, how I wish success upon him!  My favorites of the songs he played were Made for Each Other/You Can Breathe, The Mixed Tape, The Resolution, and Annie Use Your Telescope.  It was fun to see how he changed some of the words of his songs that I'm so familiar with to apply to Philadelphia (the east coast).

  
  

Guster came on afterwards, and they were just great!  They have a very relaxed stage presence and experimented a bit on stage.  You may have noticed the odd contraption of Andrew's head in the last picture above; since the first concert that Guster's Ryan Miller (lead vocals, guitar) attended was Air Supply, he decided to actually make himself into an air supplier.  Yes, like this:

All of their songs were very well performed; I especially like Barrel of a Gun, Hang On, Architects and Engineers, and On the Ocean.  The eclectic mix of drums they use is quite a tasteful aspect of their sound!

  

In the end, Andrew came out and he accompanied Guster in a cover of Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks". It was quite good, and a great song selection seeing as it's so popular--everyone could sing along!

  

Anyway, since the concert, Jack's Mannequin's "The Resolution" has been continuously stuck in my head!  Knowledge of his struggle with Leukemia gives this song all of the power it has to me--it's so uplifting and empowering!  Andrew McMahon, my heart is with you!

Jack's Mannequin - The Resolution by KROQ

Jack's Mannequin - The Resolution <-- right-click to download