Something Corporate

There are tastes that bring you back to a place, smells that bring you back to a season, and songs that bring you back to an era. For me, white wine brings me back to Rome, pumpkin brings me back to fall, and the voice of Andrew McMahon brings me back to high school.

The Something Corporate 10 Year Anniversary tour was one of the most memorable events of my concert loving life. The four piece band opened with the song “21 and Invincible,” singing along with the youthful audience. It was a proclamation of a time of freedom we all have experienced in our lives.

One of the most unique attributes of the performance at the City National Grove of Anaheim was that the band was not accompanied by a single opening act. The attention and hearts of all settled completely on Something Corporate as they ran through a list of 20 songs, most of which found their high life in the early 2000’s. Infamous tunes like “If You C Jordan” and “Punk Rock Princess” blared from the speakers with overwhelming support of the fans that sang along to every word.

My personal favorite was the second in queue, which brought me back to a vivid recollection of one particular moment during my time at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Back then asking girls to dances was a monumental production, and oftentimes could be seen as a competition to win the heart of not only the girl, but the whole school as well. This time it was in the form of a shortened live concert of a boy and his band playing a set of Something Corporate tunes. The last song was “Hurricane” from the band’s biggest hit CD Leaving Through the Window, released in 2002. The cover was a perfect tribute to one of my favorite bands, and to this day, hearing the lyrics instantly brings me back to that moment in time.

Flashback to the present, standing in the pit of the Grove, the concert continued. The set list proceeded through “Cavanaugh Park,” “I Want to Save You,” and “Drunk Girl,” I felt the energy escalate with each familiar phrase. The crowd adored the band and its talented leader as he jammed on the piano, singing with complete passion in his homecoming to Orange County, California.

Aside from the highlighted famous hits of their decade, Something Corporate sprinkled the performance with a few surprises. Selected songs that were scarcely heard were showcased and pulled from hidden tracks, previously unreleased melodies and a single new recording that was featured on their Play in Space: Best Of CD, released earlier this year. These songs included “Wait,” “Watch the Sky,” and finally, the opening of the show’s encore, and favorite among the most devoted fans – “Konstantine.”

I can say personally that there was much anticipation waiting to hear if this song would even make the lineup. It was rumored that Andrew McMahon vowed to never sing it again because he is now happily married and it was originally written for a high school sweetheart who had long since past. Honorable yes, but we are definitely glad he broke his rule just this once since the song was so incredible that every note pulled at our heartstrings. It was the perfect beginning of a magnificent end.

The 10 Year Anniversary Tour of Something Corporate surpassed all expectations. The final two songs, “Ruthless” and “I Woke Up in a Car,” made the audience erupt in praise. As I will soon turn 25, this concert framed a decade of growth in my personal life. I will always take this talented group of artists with me as I continue forth to the next chapter in my life, whatever it may read. I truly thank them for all for the times their music has supported me and played as the soundtrack to my days.

Something Corporate Band Members: Andrew McMahon, vocals/piano; Josh Partington, guitar; Kevin Page, bassist; and Brian Ireland, drummer.