Something Corporate played to a sold out show at House of Blues in Cleveland last week and it’s safe to say as ‘Babies of The 80s, we’re no longer ‘21 and Invisible.’
Jack’s Mannequin Keyboard player Zac Clark opened the show with a solo set, playing music from his catalogue, including his most recent release ‘Holy Shit.’
Zac was followed up by Allister, a Chicago-based pop-punk band who share the same record label as Something Corporate, who they shouted out for the opportunity, calling them “the nicest group of guys” they’ve ever met.
And then it was time for the headliner at a sold-out HOB with 3,000 eager fans hanging on every note. From the barricade to the stairwell, there wasn’t an empty space. And this continued to the upper balcony where the seats were full and people packed in behind to try and get a glimpse of the magic happening on stage.
There’s something to be said about a reunion tour. The nostalgia creates this atmosphere of happiness and love of the people you’re surrounded by. All music brings people together, but when you’re talking about a 20+ year reunion tour from a band who hasn’t played together in nearly 15 years, it really is just magical. The fans in attendance know how fortunate they are to be there. To be a part of what could possibly be the last time they see their favorite musicians perform together. High school best friends, who have gone on to live their own lives, brought back together to embrace the essence of their youth, in the music they created as kids.
And that’s what makes this reunion so special. That even though we as fans feel like we are the ones being rewarded, that the band really are the ones who are so fortunate. With all the original band members from SoCo’s inception, Andrew McMahon (Lead Singer / Piano), Josh Partington (Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals), Kevin ‘Clutch’ Page (Bass Guitar), Brian Ireland (Drums / Percussion), and William Tell (Rhythm Guitar / Backing Vocals), taking the stage, you could see how truly happy the guys are to be back together. After an untimely end to making music in 2004, they couldn’t have picked a better time to reunite and make new music.
As the band took the stage, a video montage played on the screen behind them, with clips from interviews spanning their career. What followed was 22 songs over nearly two hours, with crowd-pleasing favorites and deep cuts, all kicked off with ‘She Paints Me Blue’ from their album ‘North,’ which is when most fans really took hold of the Something Corporate death grip.
It immediately felt like a calming sense took over the crowd, as we were transported back to our youth where this very album was listened to on our CD players on repeat, when we almost felt alone in our love of their music. Even though they had many hits and a growing fan base, they never had the same following as some of their Drive Thru record counterparts like New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional. But now, as adults, to be surrounded by a room full of people who also found comfort in this slightly outside-of-the-norm ‘piano rock’, it was like going back in time and being able to relive it with the people we didn’t know existed. And this sentiment isn’t lost with the band either. Taking time throughout the show to acknowledge how grateful they are, making mention of the shock and awe they feel that after all this time, people still want to hear their music. Having fear of the idea of making new Something Corporate music, Andrew laughed at the idea, saying, ‘No one wants to hear new music from us.’ Before playing their newest song ‘Happy,’ he told a story about how he was inspired to write this song after ‘hearing kids driving around playing Something Corporate blasting from the windows in their cars’ and how he was so taken back by this.
During these occasional breaks in the set, the house lights would dim, the guys would scatter from stage, and we’d get a video interview from an individual band member, sort of sharing their behind-the-scenes feelings about playing in the band. It really added a different element to this show than a lot of your run-of-the-mill concerts. It tapped into the sentimental aspect of their careers and showed this tour was truly just as much for them as it is us.
Andrew has gone on to have an extensive career since Something Corporate, as the front man of Jack’s Mannequin (Formed in 2004 after the SoCo Hiatus), and most recently Andrew McMahon in The Wilderness (Formed in 2014). But for the other members of Something Corporate, their music careers mostly ended in 2004, moving on into other endeavors. Which makes the ‘Out Of Office’ tour so unique and special. Allowing the guys to work their ‘day jobs’ during the week and then get together for shows — mostly Thursday nights thru Sunday — allowing them to get back to the corporate grind on Monday.
As the night carried on, and we knew the set was coming to an end, Andrew took a moment to share stories about each of the band members. How they met in high school and the happenstances of each. Sharing an intimate moment with each member, with a hug or close face to face conversation, it’s easy to see how much they truly do love each other. And what an incredible feeling it must be sharing this all together so many years later, now as husbands and dads, and their families getting to watch them be kids again.
They dug deep and channeled that wonder, leading the encore with ‘Miss America,’ a song rarely played live, followed by ‘Konstantine,’ which because of its length also rarely makes setlists.
‘I Woke Up In A Car’ capped the night, with its full energy and adrenaline.
Whether we get new music or another tour, we’ll always have this moment. Also worth noting is the Dear Jack Foundation, founded by Andrew McMahon in 2006 after fighting a Leukemia diagnosis. The foundation supports adolescence and young adults with cancer. You can find out more at https://www.dearjackfoundation.org.
Main Set:
She Paints Me Blue
Space
I Want to Save You
Fall
Me and the Moon
Straw Dog
Ruthless
Watch the Sky
As You Sleep
Punk Rock Princess
Babies of the 80s
21 and Invincible
The Astronaut
Only Ashes
Drunk Girl
Happy
Hurricane
Cavanaugh Park
If You C Jordan
Encore:
Miss America
Konstantine
I Woke Up in a Car
