Jack's Mannequin plays to packed Edwards Auditorium

9/26/06 - A line of about 75 giddy concert-goers was lined up outside Edwards Auditorium at 6 p.m., waiting for one man, and one man only: Andrew McMahon. Though McMahon, lead singer of headlining band Jack's Mannequin, was scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m., a group of ticket holders had camped out at 7:30 a.m. just to get a taste of those front row seats.Upon entering the University of Rhode Island's quaint little venue, it was apparent that the audience mostly consisted of middle school and high school students, with the exception of a few groaning chaperones who obviously weren't aware of the journey they were about to embark on.

The air reeked of junior high and Britney Spears' "Curious" perfume, but even URI students waited excitedly in line for the Student Entertainment Committee's sold-out show.

Jack's Mannequin took the stage under a bright orange glow, featuring McMahon on the keyboard and vocals, Bob "Raw" Anderson on guitar, Jon Sullivan on bass and Jay McMillan on drums.

The band started off their set with their single "Bruised," though you could hardly hear McMahon's voice above the screams and chants. The catchy rock song had everyone singing along by the end.

Between songs, McMahon joked with the audience and commented on the auditorium. "I feel like I'm in a 1960s rock-and-roll show or something," McMahon said, referring to the small stage.

The band rocked the place with some of their upbeat tracks featured on their 2005 album Everything in Transit. McMahon had a dynamic stage presence and electrified the audience with what can only be described as piano love-making. He amazed audience members by playing one-handed and showing off tricky moves with two microphones and a harmonica.

The audience changed moods a bit when he started to swing into ballad-mode. His song "Last Straw" seemed to strike a chord with the audience. Though the track was not put on the actual album, most of the audience mouthed the words as McMahon told his story about a girl he had once loved.

"I was dating this girl for a really long time and we broke up . and I was drinking," he said, joking about his lyrics.

The favorite of the night seemed to be the band's rendition of "Homeward Bound" by Simon and Garfunkel, which was a great choice for the older adults in the crowd.

The band launched into their last song, "MFEO: Made For Each Other / You Can Breathe," the last track of their album.

The reaction of the crowd when McMahon came reaching out for hands was ridiculous. The mob scene was incredible, like after a 1999 performance by N*SYNC. It was obvious that there were no mixed feelings about Jack's Mannequin.

"I loved the part where they sang that Simon and Garfunkel song," sophomore Kristen Jurnak said. "It was pretty awesome, I must say."

After the show, Anderson talked to a handful of fans. When asked how he thought the show went, he replied, "It was a stone groove."

Daphne Loves Derby, or as I like to call them, The Super Skinnies, had the difficult task of opening the show. The Washington-based indie-rock band had little success getting the crowd into a groove. It could have been their awkward vocals overlapping their almost-catchy guitar melodies. It also could've been the fact that if they had decided to eat more than one meal a day, I might've been able to fit into their awesome girl pants.

Daphne Loves Derby just took the indie look way too far and their sound seemed way too flimsy to really motivate a crowd mostly made up of underage girls. It did seem to please the five girls up in the third row.

I give the band props for their songs that almost got the rest of the crowd to shake their bootie once or twice. If it hadn't been for their ultimate bow out, I wouldn't have lost all respect for them.

"Just two more songs and we'll be out of your way," lead singer Kenny Choi said only a few songs into their performance. That was their cue to leave and my cue to start psyching myself up for the next band, a task that I was not alone in.

The most common phrase heard around the auditorium during their set was, "I'll be right back. Don't let any girls steal my seat."

The next two bands provided a strong contrast to the first. Chicago pop-rock band The Hush Sound and Florida-based Copeland drew the audience in with their catchy piano-rock tunes.

The Hush Sound, a unique four-piece band, switched between smooth piano melodies and a harder rock sound, which the audience seemed to really enjoy. Featuring Greta Salpeter on the keyboard, Bob Morris on guitar, Chris Faller on bass and Darren Wilson on the drums, the band provided an intense stage presence with their beautiful blend of instruments and vocals.

Salpeter and Morris switched between lead vocals. The audience rocked out to their song "Sweet Tangerine," while Wilson broke out a tambourine and the rest of the band played their imaginary trumpets. Other songs included "Magnolia" and "Dark Congregation," which are all off of their June 2006 release "Like Vines."

Copeland was another hit, with their Keane-like tunes, though some found the music too mellow.

"We're totally jazzed to be here," lead singer Aaron Marsh said, to which someone in the audience replied, "We're totally jazzed to see you!"

Though they got off to a good start, the set slowly started to drag after the third song. After an energetic performance from The Hush Sound, Copeland's performance was almost anticlimactic, and by the end, I was practically asleep.

The songs all started to sound the same with repetitive lyrics like "Will I wake to find you waiting by my bedside / Will I wait to find you waiting by my side." The only reason to get excited was that fact that the audience was one song closer to seeing Andrew McMahon's beautiful body.

When Copeland finally ended, the audience settled into their seats, buzzing with excitement. A few started to chant McMahon's name in between singing along to songs like "I Believe In A Thing Called Love.