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Live Local Music

Jack’s Mannequin Review: Up Close

Posted by Natalie Plumb on 10/14 at 02:52 PM

Jack’s Mannequin took the stage “expecting to see less than half” of the crowd that showed up Sunday night at Penn State’s Recreation Hall, lead singer Andrew McMahon said.

Jack’s Mannequin, which was created in 2005 as a side project of McMahon’s first band, Something Corporate, made a stop at Penn State on Oct. 11 in between a gig in Kentucky and one in New York City on Oct. 12. Because of this, McMahon said he did not expect to see such a large turnout – about two-thirds of the venue was full. In fact, the band’s stop at Penn State was not even listed on its Web site.

McMahon’s vocals were right on key and the passion in his voice rang throughout the venue. The band’s sound, even in a venue like Rec Hall, which is an unusually large venue for the band, was consistent throughout. “Dark Blue,” the first song in the band’s set, was particularly exceptional.

At one point, McMahon played the piano with one hand while grasping the microphone in the other, swaying to the rhythm of the band’s third song in the set list, “Spinning.” Jack’s Mannequin performs a music genre that is hard to define, though The Fray’s sound is similar. The band’s meaningful songs help it stand out.

McMahon has created numerous inspirational videos about his experience surviving cancer. Ben Ellert, a senior in mechanical engineering, said this makes the band’s material “very unique.”

“It’s all about his surpassing life’s obstacles because of what he’s been through,” Ellert added.