The Finale

Playing: Keep Rising-Jack's Mannequin
Reading: World Design: The Best in Classic and Contemporary Furniture, Fashion, Graphics, and More by Uta Abendroth, Karin Beate Phillips, Christian Pixis, Volkard Steinbach, and Bernd Polster

November 12, 2012 marked the very last concert for my favorite band, Jack's Mannequin, at the El Rey Theatre. It's hard to explain how I feel about Andrew McMahon, the lead singer, and his music without sounding fanatical or insane. To get these tickets, I actually woke up really early one morning and sat at the computer, refreshing the page every two seconds. For the first ten attempts at buying tickets, ticketmaster told me there were no tickets left, so I began to panic, but I finally got them. This was my fifth time seeing Andrew McMahon and while I was standing in line, I got a chance to talk to some other super fans like the guy that flew in from Texas and the two friends that drove for eight hours from Arizona.

The show opened with Matt Thiessen of Reliant K, singing old favorites and some new material. Bobby "Raw" Anderson, the lead guitarist of Jack's Mannequin, joined him for a song. I had no idea he'd be there, so when he walked on stage, I kind of screamed a lot at him and now I can't get "Sadie Hawkins" out of my head. During the encore, he got on stage and I got a chance to briefly talk to him, which was pretty exciting and he seems pretty nice from our miniscule conversation and from when he talked to the audience.

Since the concert was general admission and I'm a tiny person, I was able to squeeze right on through the crowd, so that I was only five feet away from the stage. With the help of a new camera, I was able to get some really clear close up shots. Andrew was his usual charming, funny self and he did his fun, spastic dance moves, so needless to say I enjoyed it tremendously so.

Since I was so close to Bobby "Raw" Anderson, I got the chance to take some amazing photos of him. At all of the past concerts, I focused mostly on Andrew and I got to see how great Bobby is at performing. He's amazing and I kind of regret not paying more attention to him earlier on. Andrew wrote "No Man is an Island" for Bobby's wedding song, so I guess the two of us will have the same wedding song.

Dr. J also returned after leaving the band for awhile. It was nice to see him again. I apologize for my recap being so poor this time, but I feel like I've written about Andrew so much that to write out how much I love him and his music again would just be repetitive. At the end of the concert, Andrew was joined by all of his friends and it was a beautiful moment, as the confetti fell. It was definitely a weird feeling for me. After seeing him so many times and listening to his music for around eight years now, I find it hard to believe it's all over. I've actually found myself getting really depressed during class, if I think about it too much. However, this isn't the end. I would like to believe that Andrew isn't ending his music career completely and that he's just moving on. After all, I still haven't met him and that's definitely one of my life goals. Here's the set list:

• Holiday From Real
• Crashing
• Release Me
• Annie, Use Your Telescope
• Spinning
• My Racing Thoughts (It's about getting in a fight with someone who knows you too well.)
• Casting Lines
• The Resolution
• Bloodshot
• Amy I
• Swim
• Restless Dream
• The Mixed Tape
• Last Straw
• I'm Ready
• Bruised
• Hammers and Strings
• Dark Blue
• Caves ("This song is hard to play. I mean it's emotionally hard, but it's actually hard to play.")
• MFEO Part 1: Made for Each Other
• MFEO Part 2: You Can Breathe
• La La Lie

I just want Andrew to know that his music has really inspired me and has helped me through many a tough time. He's just amazing and I want him to know that he makes me happy and that this isn't a good bye; it's a see you soon. I would also like to thank him for all the amazing memories and for putting so much into my life. See you soon, Andrew, and I wish you luck with your next adventure!

Also, happy Thanksgiving to all of my America readers!