True Life: I Attend Concerts.

I recently had the great privilege of witnessing two great concerts in the same exact auditorium no less than a week a part. Who were the riveting acts that captivated me? Taylor Swift and Jack's Mannequin. While they are seemingly polar opposites (one is a teen country female sensation, while the other is a Southern Cali-based piano band), both delivered high-end entertainment.

We'll start with Taylor.
This concert was without a doubt everything one would expect a concert to be and more. It went above and beyond all expectations I could have had. With each song, Taylor displayed more and more confidence and energy on stage, leaving the audience wondering where they could get a hold of the drugs she was on. Apparently the drug Taylor abuses is 'love'. She's been getting it from everyone these days, and likewise dealing it back out to the crowd. Fans of her debut album were not disappointed as she performed almost the entire track list, as well as a couple bonus tracks and song covers from other artists (Rihanna's Umbrella and John Waite's Missing You respectively). The audience was on their feet, singing at the top of their lungs for the entire show. On top of being one of the better performers I have seen, she is also gracious to her fans. My friends and I unexpectedly found ourselves on her bus, talking to her after the show and we couldn't have found a nicer person occupying those cowboy boots.
Concert Grade: 4.0
A perfect combination of lyrical talent, energy, and band members with hot hair.

The Jack's Mannequin concert had an entirely different vibe. For one thing, I was wasted (ha). Secondly, through my hazy vision, I could tell that the audience was a bit older. Our seats were good enough for us to be able to take in the entire stage without having to squint at a 3 inch figure believed to be the lead singer. The lead singer of Jack's Mannequin, Andrew McMahon, is a bit of a rock star. Highlights from this show include him drinking out of a red party cup (that reinstated my buzz) and running up the stairs to the middle of the floor to get closer to fans with shitty seats. The band played 2 new songs, and a handful of tracks from Everything in Transit. My only gripe is that I would have loved to hear Last Straw but considering it's not on an album I didn't have much of a chance. Afterwards, being so naturally inclined to meet celebrities, we hung out at the bus. Not only did I get insider info from a roadie named Adrien ("I prefer to be called a guitar technician"), but I got my ticket stub signed by Andrew McMahon. Although he was a bit under the weather, he still stayed for 10 minutes to sign some autographs.
Concert Grade: 3.0
Not hearing Last Straw significantly hurt Jack's Mannequin's overall score.

Drunk Grade: 4.0
Although I was denied a corona and a bus tour, I still maintained a great buzz throughout the night thanks to 5 o'clock and Red Bull.

Peace, Love, and Music!
-Alex



*Jack's Mannequin photo via google.com. I am too lazy to upload my pictures right now.