Philadelphia, PA – Every generation will bring an artist far too talented for their era and often underappreciated for their contributions to the world of music. For the last 20 years, Andrew McMahon has consistently discovered himself through his art, all the while creating some of the best music within the world of alternative music during the journey. He’s successfully reinvented and rebranded himself across three projects throughout his life and found time to return to them as well when the time was right. He’s toured the country with them all, selling out clubs all the way to the mighty Red Rocks last year for the first of his ‘Three Pianos’ concerts. The concept is a celebration of his music, his bands, and the most critical piece of his success – his fans.
McMahon has always remained most loyal to his fans through the years with each of his individual creative outlets, and as of late, he’s even taken the fight to Ticketmaster directly to make sure his fans are truly the best taken care of in the business. Philadelphia has always been a second home for Andrew on the East Coast, as he’s brought nearly every tour to the area, from the TLA to the Fillmore, the Met, The Franklin Music Hall, and even some random pop-up stages for radio-branded events – but for the first time ever, he was set to headline The Mann for his largest show ever with the return of ‘Three Pianos’ on August 8.
‘Three Pianos’ takes its name from McMahon’s 2021 memoir of the same name – his handwritten and raw account of life through the lens of the three instruments that defined his life and career. The initial concert at Red Rocks in 2025 also marked another milestone as the first time all three of McMahon’s projects shared a single stage, with each of the pianos present for the night. For many, this show at the Mann was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them to relive every moment of McMahon’s career, from Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, as a cohesive set that spanned over three hours, leaving everything on the stage.
Jack’s Mannequin kicked the night off with the original four: McMahon on piano, Bobby Anderson on guitar, Mikey Wagner on bass, and Jay McMillan behind the kit. They opened with “The Resolution,” and when McMahon hit the line “I’m alive, and I don’t need a witness to know that I survived,” the crowd sang it back loud enough that it could be heard echoing off the hills near the venue. From there on out, it was immediately clear what the vibe was going to be for this summer evening. The set pulled from the deep cuts alongside the classics – “Holiday From Real” and “The Mixed Tape” for the faithful, “Spinning” and “Amy, I” for the diehards.
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness followed next after a quick video interlude, with Zac Clark stepping in as the sixth man on keys, guitar, and whatever else the song needed or was within reach of his setup on the stage. The Wilderness catalogue has taken a backseat lately while McMahon has been revisiting his earlier work, so hearing those songs given proper space felt like a gift. “Love and Great Buildings” got the whole venue chanting quickly as the first song of the set, and it wouldn’t have been a true Wilderness set without an appearance by the inflatable duck during “Island Radio” that McMahon carefully took across the pit and into the seated section that followed it.
Something Corporate brought the night to another level entirely. Ireland, Tell, Partington, and Page – guys who have known each other since high school – play with the kind of chemistry that can’t be manufactured. There’s still something almost goofy and teenage about watching them up there, except now they’re really, really good at it. McMahon got a laugh noting the irony of playing “Me and the Moon” on a moonless night, then promptly lost himself in the crowd again during “Hurricane.”
The finale and jam session brought everyone back together on the stage for a closing set that ran through all three eras: “I’m Ready,” “Dark Blue,” “Punk Rock Princess,” “Konstantine,” and “Fire Escape.” Finally, at the start of the proper encore of the night came the two songs that wrapped the night up with a multigenerational bow. McMahon’s daughter Cecilia walked out and sang “Cecilia and the Satellite” with her dad – the song that broke him through to a wider audience, now sung with the person it was written for standing right beside him. The band closed with “La La Lie,” inviting family and friends onstage until the stage was full of people who had nothing in common except loving this music and the guy who made it.
Three hours, three bands, three pianos. It may have taken over 20 years for McMahon and his bands to headline for a crowd of more than 10,000 – but no one can argue that it was worth the wait because this was the show of the summer for Philadelphia (and possibly the show of the entire year).
