Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness at The Fillmore Silver Spring

BY LIZ BAUMMER (SHE/HER)

If you’re anything like me, a 20 something year old who misses childhood fun, Andrew McMahon’s New Friends Tour 2023 is exactly where you need to be. Themed for summer camp, with an incredible amount of fun touches (to be discussed in detail below), this tour is a must see show that will leave you smiling from ear to ear. McMahon brought with him two incredibly talented openers to DC. The night started off with Wildermiss, an indie rock band hailing from Denver, Colorado. The trio delivers stunning vocals as well as plays synth, guitar, and drums. They recently released their debut LP, titled Levitate, in October 2023. Opening on all except one night of tour, Wilderness’s music is a great way to start off the evening. With funky lighting and energetic dancing, the stage presence and music set the bar high in terms of energy for the rest of the night. Not to be outdone, the next to take the stage was Michigander, who opens on all but two of the tour dates. Based in Nashville, but originally from Michigan (hence the name), Michigander’s recent accomplishments include playing Austin City Limits Festival in October and releasing their EP It Will Never Be The Same in the past year. Michigander also fits perfectly in this carefully curated lineup. With similar energy and indie/alternative vibes, they are the perfect addition to the tour. Playing hits such as Better, Saturday, and Superglue, they had the audience fully engaged, singing and dancing their hearts out.

After a brief pause to finalize the stage setup, it was time for the ultimate summer camp experience with Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. The personalized touches made the theme all-consuming in the best way possible including the crew who were wearing park ranger hats. The show was kicked off when a member of the band came out through the onstage tent to play a bugle call indicative of the start of a camp day. To everyone’s surprise, however, McMahon didn’t suddenly enter the stage at that moment, in fact the lights did not even come up. Instead, McMahon entered from the back of the venue through the crowd while singing his hit Nobody Tells You When You’re Young. He was accompanied by a crew member dressed in a bear onesie carrying a camping lantern. Throughout the rest of the show, the thoughtful touches continued, with at one point a prerecorded message playing to tell the campers to expect rain before McMahon donned his own rain jacket. There was also an owl on the piano, a fake bonfire, and a skeleton dog from Walmart that was rigged to bark when a button on top of the piano was pressed. McMahon brought out many hits throughout the night including Lying on the Hood of Your Car, High dive, Skywriting, and (one of my personal top five songs of all time) Cecilia and the Satellite. I won’t lie and say that that last one didn’t make me more than a little emotional. It’s also worth noting McMahon’s incredible athleticism, often singing, dancing, and simultaneously playing the piano – three things I did not realize it was physically possible to do at the same time.

When you have the stellar stage presence, musical ability, and vocals that McMahon brings to the table there really isn’t anything additional else you need to bring to the table to make it a memorable night. However, McMahon takes it a step farther, with some of the best fan interactions I’ve seen at a concert. As previously mentioned, McMahon entered through the crowd at the beginning of the show, and this was not the last time he would mingle with the audience during his set. Roughly halfway through he climbed along the front of the barricade giving out high fives and reaching out to fans before hopping the barrier altogether to walk amongst the crowd. McMahon also brought up a fan to sing alongside him as the winner of an online contest he’s been doing at each tour stop. McMahon picks a fan at each stop to join him onstage after viewing their covers of his music on social media. However, the crowning jewel of the night took place during the very last song, La La Lie. After moving all the young children in front of the barricade for optimal viewing experience (and I imagine safety), McMahon crowd surfed atop a giant inflatable llama. He rode across the crowd to the booth in the back to receive a drink from a crew member before tossing the cup into the audience and riding back up to the stage to finish the last song of the set which included a dramatic harmonic solo while standing on top of the piano.

Needless to say, Andrew McMahon’s New Friends Tour brings all the childlike wonders of summer camp alive and is the perfect example of just how fun concerts should be. His commitment to the theme and to having fun with his fans does not in any way, shape, or form distract from his extensive discography. Rather, it complements his many musical talents and makes for a night of amazing music and amazing showmanship hand in hand.