The Ultimate Andrew McMahon Setlist

This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

We’ve been giving Andrew McMahon a lot of love this week, all in honor of his brand new album, Zombies on Broadway. On Monday, we published an interview with him and yesterday, we reviewed the new record. Today, we’re attempting the impossible: distilling McMahon’s impressive 15-year career into one ultimate concert setlist.

For this playlist, I mostly adhered to the rules established last year in Craig Ismaili’s Ultimate Jimmy Eat World Setlist: 20 songs for the main set, two songs for the encore, and a mix of tunes that includes both hits and career-best songs. I did, however, dispense with Craig’s 80-minute rule, simply because that would mean burning one-eighth of the set on “Konstantine.”

I’d like to think that this is the kind of setlist that might get played if Andrew ever pulled together all of his current and former bandmates—from Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness—for one insane reunion show. As such, I tried to pull songs from every era of McMahon’s career, spotlighting both fan favorites (“Dark Blue,” “I Woke up in a Car”) and underappreciated deep cuts (“Miss America,” “Amelia Jean”).

Whether you’re looking to discover the charms of McMahon’s music for the first time or take a trip down memory lane, I hope this playlist won’t disappoint. To share your ultimate McMahon setlists, hit the quote bubble and head to the forums!

The Main Set

1. I Want to Save You
2. Release Me
3. Bruised
4. All Our Lives
5. Swim
6. I’m Ready
7. High Dive
8. Hurricane
9. Crashin
10. Rescued
11. Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)
12. Amelia Jean
13. Fire Escape
14. Synesthesia
15. 21 and Invincible
16. Walking in My Sleep
17. I Woke up in a Car
18. Miss America
19. La La Lie
20. Dark Blue

The Encore

1. Konstantine
2. Cecilia and the Satellite

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At the Dear Jack Foundation show this December 2016, all three bands took the stage. Most of these songs were performed, but I don't have an exact setlist. It was incredible to watch all three bands perform.

 

Craig M. didn't let me know he was doing this but I already had one prety much made for Andrew McMahon before this (If i was adding any songs from the new album it would be Birthday Song and Dead Man's Dollar, but for right now I only included Fire Escape):

1. Holiday From Real
2. Fire Escape
3. The Mixed Tape
4. Amy, I
5. All Our Lives
6. I'm Ready
7. La La Lie
8. Release Me
9. Swim
10. There, There Katie
11. I Woke Up In a Car
12. Halls
13. Miss Delaney
14. If You C Jordan
15. 21 And Invincible
16. Bruised
17. Punk Rock Princess
18. Dark Blue
19. Maps for the Getaway
20. Konstantine

Encore:
21. Cecilia And the Satellite
22. Synesthesia

 

Been revisiting his discography a lot this week and I kind of forgot how much I LOVE "I Want To Save You" and "I Woke Up In a Car"

 

This will be difficult. There is already an egregious lack of Canyon Moon love in this thread though!

 

Such a difficult task. So many moods, so many eras, so hard not to put all of "Everything In Transit" on here. Such a great career this guy has had.

1. I'm Ready
2. Canyon Moon
3. Crashin'
4. I Woke Up In A Car
5. Walking In My Sleep
6. Dark Blue
7. American Love
8. Hurricane
9. Amy, I
10. Catching Cold
11. Bloodshot
12. Me and the Moon
13. Meet Me At My Window
14. The Mixed Tape
15. La La Lie
16. Dead Man's Dollar
17. The Runaway
18. Into The Airwaves
19. Television
20. MFEO: Part 1- Made For Each Other, Part 2- You Can Breathe

Encore:
21. Konstantine
22. Cecilia and the Satellite

 

Now this is a real test. The second I start thinking of songs i'd like to add (The Mixed Tape and Me and the Moon for starters) I don't know what to cut. And then I just think of even more I'd like to add. Andrew has had such a comprehensive and impressive career, with so many moods and emotions to hit, it'd be really hard for me to get this right. This list is an impressive collection, though! And balanced.

 

Oh man. That's the kind of show I would travel for.

I assumed I'd get some shit for putting "Synesthesia" on there, since most people really don't care for the EP. That song was such a highlight when I saw him last summer though. Glad to see it at the end of your setlist.

That was on the list of songs I cut. I really loved it as an opener on this last tour, but felt like it didn't fit anywhere but at the beginning and I wanted to start with Leaving Through the Window.

If I were to make a "best of" list, I'd probably have more ballads and mid-tempo tracks. I felt like I needed to use those sparingly for an imaginary live setlist. So that's why "Me and the Moon," "Ruthless," "Globes and Maps," "Walking By," "Maps for the Getaway," and a few others aren't on here.

 

Synesthesia is probably the only song I go back to from that EP but I really love it and I think it works so well as a show closer, because it's not really a song that everyone knows per se but it is the song that works as sort of the thesis statement for his music and always seems to get the crowd moving and singing along even if they don't know it.

 

Did he bring out the parachute during that song when you saw him last?

 

That makes total sense. I think you've struck a great balance of songs from throughout his career, both in tone and tempo.

 

Thanks! That was the goal. I tried to think back on the structure of my favorite shows that I've seen (at least the ones that are in the 90-minute territory). The mid-set solo piano break ("Rescued," "Hammers," and "Amelia Jean") is an idea I stole from Butch Walker.

 

It's weird, as much as I really like Andrew's music, I never really got super into Konstantine. As a long time fan, I absolutely appreciate and respect what that song means for his career and fans, but it would not be on my career-spanning setlist.

 

That one is interesting for me. It was definitely not a love at first listen song for me. I thought it was kind of overrated and overblown at first. Then there was this one day where I just played it on repeat for like two hours straight and fell more in love with it every time through. It's been my favorite Andrew song ever since (though "Rescued" is close).

 

That's awesome! Yeah, I was listening to Soco when they were still going and before Jack's. So I sort of feel like if I haven't had that aha moment such as you than it's probably not happening. It's not like I don't like the song either. Just not one of my favorites.

 

Cool to see this, I just happen to make a playlist last week on Spotify for Andrew. I had to include Halls and If You C Jordan.

 

I've done the same recently and just this morning realized how great "I Woke Up In a Car" is.

 

But why is Watch The Sky not on any of the setlists posted so far?

 

I Woke Up in a Car and Hurricane are two of my favorite soco songs.

 

are people ready to admit that people and things is andrew's second best album at this point?