SOMETHING CORPORATE Corporate
Aragon Ballroom / Chicago, IL
September 24, 2003

Text & Photos by Adam Bielawski


    Lead singer and front man, Andrew McMahon, plays the piano with fury on stage.  Legends such as Jerry Lee Lewis come to mind as this moppy, blond-haired front man bends over the piano and feverishly punches out those black and
white keys, while kicking his feet back and forth.

    Performing "Space", which is now getting a good deal of air play, the band instantly won over a good deal of the audience.  They had all the kids jumping up and down by the time they concluded their all too short opening segement
with, "If U C Jordan".  The young fans sang along and cheered with hands up high knowing all the words as Andrew McMahon pushed the microphone out to the fans. 

    

For many, this was their first concert EVER, trying to make their way up front to secure a place to see their punk rock idols.  Something Corporate did a great job working up the fans, especially Andrew McMahon ran about the stage and made everyone in the front rows feel like a close, personal friend.

    

Supporting the new age punk rockers Good Charlotte for two nights in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom, Something Corporate proved to be much more then a mere supporting act.   Their loyal young fan base was out in force and wearing t-shirts that boldly displayed their "Something Corporate" affinity.  As parents hung out in this old ballroom in the back area, their sons and daughters crowded and packed the stage area.  You could feel the heat of excitment as the
kids pressed against the barriers, the exhilaration they felt was contagious.

    The piano was hard hitting and penetrated through the loud mix of guitars, bass and drums.  today's new generation of music.  Call it a blast from the past, but Something Corporate's mix of piano and showmanship in Andrew McMahon
is what will drive this band to the top.  It is certainly what drives their legions of loyal fans wild.   As McMahon was catapulting himself on and off his piano, guitarists Josh Partington and William Tell, did their part in stirring up excitement and laying down their rockin' sound.

    Punching the groove hard an heavy to keep the punk riddims rolling were bassist Clutch and drummer Brian Ireland.  These five guys really know how to rock and roll, they have embraced the golden era of rock and brought it kicking
and screaming into the modern world.

    I predict that the next visit Something Corporate makes to the Windy City will be as a headliner.   It's a safe bet they will be back soon, because their new CD –– "North" –– is due in late October via Geffen Records.