Jack’s Mannequin Lights Up The Fillmore Detroit for the Dear Jack Benefit Concert
Detroit,Michigan(November 11,2025)-Jack’s Mannequin, Andrew McMahon’s long-running alternative pop-rock outfit, played The Fillmore Detroit Tuesday night for the 16th Annual Dear Jack Benefit. The night doubled as a celebration of the seminal release, Everything in Transit’s 20th anniversary and a fundraiser for young-adult cancer support.
The special night in the Motor City was part of the band’s ongoing MFEO 20th Anniversary Tour, which has revisited the debut album each night. For Detroit fans, the benefit show added an extra layer of significance by combining music and a meaningful cause along with the celebration of McMahon’s own two-decade milestone of being cancer-free. By the end of the evening, the event had blown away their goal, raising more than $350,000 for the foundation.
When the lights dimmed shortly after nine, a short film played across the back screen tracing the band’s beginnings and McMahon’s journey through illness and recovery. As the screen faded and the opening chords of “Holiday From Real,” echoed through the theater, the crowd joined in, filling the historic venue with the chorus. Backed by longtime bandmates Bobby “Raw” Anderson (guitar), Jay McMillan (drums), and Mikey Wagner (bass and keys) McMahon was all smiles as he eased into the first few songs, treating them with the conviction of someone who’s grown alongside them.
From there, the band launched into “Spinning” and “The Mixed Tape,” the first of several full-on singalongs that underscored how well these songs still connect. McMahon climbed atop his Baldwin piano during “The Mixed Tape,” a move that has long been part of his stage vocabulary and still drawing rachous cheers from fans in the pit. “Release Me” and “Kill the Messenger,” followed in quick succession, maintaining a steady pulse that carried through each cut off the album,Everything in Transit.
The middle of the set brought some quieter moments with “Miss Delaney,” “Amy, I” and “Swim” the latter standing tall as the night’s emotional centerpiece, with its refrain “You’ve gotta swim for the music that saves you” landing with a understated clarity missing from the studio cut.McMahon sang it with a new found assurance, the years having softened the edges of his voice but not its intent. Fans throughout the Fillmore lifted their phones, illuminating the gilded theater, turning the chorus into something real, rather than simply nostalgic.
That realism continued through “I’m Ready,” “Cell Phone,” and “Bruised,” each met with the kind of full-on participation that’s hard to manufacture by any artist. The Fillmore’s ornate interior amplified the sound of fans voices during “The Resolution,” before the band shifted into the expansive “MFEO: Pt. 1 – Made for Each Other / Pt. 2 – You Can Breathe.” The song’s multi layered arrangement still feel cinematic, its towering crescendos and fall-offs mirroring the emotional arc of the album itself.
As the main set neared its end, McMahon and the band closed with “Caves,” “Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)” and “Dark Blue.” The last of these drew the loudest reaction of the night—an affirmation that the song’s anthemic piano line and bittersweet tone remain as magical as ever.
The encore opened with McMahon alone at the piano for “Konstantine,” a Something Corporate deep cut that still remains a staple for longtime fans. Its quiet delivery gave way to the full-band return for “La La Lie,” complete with the now-traditional inflatable rubber duck that McMahon rode across the crowd, smiling wildly as fans carried him above their heads. The bit added some welcome levity and reminded the crowd that McMahon never lets a show get too serious for too long.
For a reunion tour built on a milestone anniversary, the Detroit stop struck the balance well. The production stayed simple, the performances tight, and the purpose of the night clear. What could have leaned heavily on nostalgia instead felt steady and well-paced, a reminder of how much this material still connects — and of why the Dear Jack Benefit remains such a central part of McMahon’s story.
By the time the house lights rose, the tone in the room was one of gratitude way more than nostalgia. Jack’s Mannequin didn’t try to relive its past in Detroit, it reaffirmed the staying power of a record, a cause, and a community that continue to move in a forward direction.
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Setlist – Jack’s Mannequin at The Fillmore Detroit (Nov. 11, 2025)
Holiday From Real
Spinning
The Mixed Tape
Release Me
Kill the Messenger
Miss Delaney
Swim
Amy, I
I’m Ready
Cell Phone
Restless Dream
Bruised
Amelia Jean
The Resolution
MFEO: Pt. 1 – Made for Each Other / Pt. 2 – You Can Breathe
Caves
Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)
Dark Blue
Encore:
Konstantine (Something Corporate cover)
La La Lie