[Photo by Connor Lenihan]
At 9:15 p.m., McMahon takes the stage, and instantly the crowd erupts with a palpable feeling of electricity and excitement in the air as he blasts through an expansive selection of his best songs across his three musical projects. McMahon is pulling triple duty: He’s one part performer, one part host and one part acrobat as he constantly jumps off his signature grand piano before crowd-surfing a life-size rubber ducky through the entirety of the venue. Halfway through the show, McMahon is presented with a birthday cake from his parents, wife and bandmates. At this moment, it felt like everyone in the room was a part of a beautiful and intimate celebration of someone who has given so much of himself for so many years.
Forty-five minutes into the set, McMahon reveals the highly anticipated return of Something Corporate. One by one, every original band member grabbed their respective instruments, including guitarist William Tell, who was noticeably absent from their previous reunion in 2010. As soon as the band kick off the first song, their collective smiles nearly illuminate the room, and their musical performance immediately proves one thing: They haven’t missed a single beat. Something Corporate played just about every song you’d ever want to hear from their classic album Leaving Through The Window, which has stood the test of time in more ways than one. When the reunion portion of the set wraps up, it’s not without a series of hugs between bandmates and shared sentiments about their longstanding relationships with one another.
Following the reunion set, McMahon finished out the show with several notable songs from his recent project Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, including latest single “Stars,” which resulted in his entire backdrop falling during the song’s last chorus to reveal a beautiful constellation of twinkling stars and glowing visuals. By the end of the set, it almost seemed like he would need to be dragged off the stage as he continued to play song after song to the delight of his loving and supportive fanbase. The night was truly magical — 40 has never looked so good, and the future couldn’t be more bright.
Alternative Press sat down with McMahon hours before his 40th birthday celebration for an exclusive interview to discuss his career, legacy and the reunion of Something Corporate.
Over the course of the last 22 years as a touring and recording musician, what are you the proudest of, and do you find yourself reflecting on your legacy more?
I’m proud that I’m still doing it and doing it in a way that is more harmonious and with less friction and tension. I’m proud that I have done the work to be a better collaborator, less reactive and run a band that feels like we’re all on an equal plane.
Evolution and reinvention have always been a constant for you. What is it about your music and lyrics that still connects with people on such a profound level that your fans are willing to follow you on any of your creative endeavors?
I think it’s because I use music first to figure out what my truth is and what I’m trying to work out in life. I think a lot of those things are very universal subjects, whether that’s moving, love, finding family, going through trauma or heartbreak — they’re at the core of all human experiences. It starts as art therapy and then becomes a craft. I started doing this when I was a teenager. We had those teenage moments of angst and then these coming-of-age moments with Jack’s Mannequin or the cancer stuff — we’ve been walking through life together. As much as I hear people say, “You’ve been the soundtrack to my life,” weirdly I feel like they have been to mine as well.
[Photo by Connor Lenihan]
Speaking of newer endeavors, you just released the ‘80s-inspired track “Stars.” Is this a hint at what we can expect from the new Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness album?
I knew my birthday was coming. I was turning 40, and so I wanted the songs to reflect my experiences, mark time, what I’ve learned and what I want to do next. “Stars” is an indicator of where I’m going next. It’s a super adventurous record, and since I came in with so many songs already written, it made it possible to make the production process not solely about writing but make them their own universe within the album.
You recently completed a massive tour alongside Dashboard Confessional, and while it has to feel nostalgic, it also feels like a perfect celebration of your careers and a reminder that the journey is just getting started. Would you agree?
To the extent that the tour was nostalgic, we actually meant for it to be. When Chris [Carrabba] and I connected about doing this, we said, “Let’s give fans a space to relive these memories and give each other the space to dive back into them.” He was the perfect guy to do it with, and we were also the guys playing quiet love songs against bands that had mosh pits [back in the day]. [Laughs.] It ended up being magic every night, and we did this because we wanted to give people a place after this nightmare of a couple of years.
Not to mention you both haven’t aged a day.
We go to the same guy, you know what I mean? [Laughs.]
Today is not only your birthday celebration but also marks the live return of Something Corporate. Why did now feel like the right time to revisit these songs?
Truthfully, it’s rare that all of us can even get together, and the guys from Something Corporate are all individually successful in their own rights and other businesses. It felt like, “Here’s a chance where we don’t have to make it a show about that, but also have them play some songs with me and a chance for us to freak out together.” No one knows this is happening, so I like the low-pressure version of this. I don’t get to see these guys together all in one place, and a birthday party is always a good excuse to get your friends together, so here we are.
[Photo by Connor Lenihan]
What do you think will go through your head when you perform these songs onstage for the first time in so long with your best friends?
I’m a big fan of going into things with no expectations, but I would not be surprised if there is a thread of memory that springs up in me for sure though. I think the first thought is going to be, “This is happening, and let’s just lean in and make it good for everyone.”
Back in 2010, it felt like Something Corporate were on the verge of a full-scale reunion, but after a few festival appearances and select tour dates, it was radio silence by 2011. What was the dynamic like at the time, and were there plans to keep things going?
I don’t know who it seemed like that to. [Laughs.] Here’s the thing: All of these things are chapters in my life. We got back together in 2010 because Something Corporate ended so abruptly. We didn’t plan to stop playing together in [2005] — we were going to make another Something Corporate record, but life just worked out differently than anyone could have planned. I got sick, and when I got better, I made this Jack’s Mannequin record that was everything to me, and it just didn’t feel like there was any going back. Not so much personally, we all love each other and are still great friends — we just moved in different directions. I love these dudes, and if there is another opportunity to get on a stage and play songs with them, I certainly welcome it. However, the chances of it leading to full-on tours and records when we all have families and lives seems very low. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that there might be another day or time at a minimum when we can get onstage somewhere. I’ll put that into the ether and hope it comes back.
[Photo by Connor Lenihan]
What songs from the Something Corporate catalog mean the most to you?
For me, up there for my favorites is “The Astronaut” because it was written in the studio, and everyone showed up and kept adding to it. It was built in the speakers, and it felt so magical. “I Woke Up In A Car” will probably always be at the top of the list for me because it was the intersection of our early lives. The song was a roadmap of what it was like to be on the road in the van and watch this dream come to the surface. Coming home, writing the song and putting it together as a band — and then watching it become one of the tunes that woke the world up to what it was that we did, it’s just a beautiful artifact of what it means to be in Something Corporate.
Something Corporate at Anaheim’s House of Blues
Something Corporate performed a surprise set Sept. 9 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, their first show together following a 12-year hiatus. Photographer Connor Lenihan captured the reunion as it unfolded.
Gallery Credit: Connor Lenihan
