Take a piano and mix it with the beach, sunshine, road trips, hospitals and love, and you’ll find yourself with a band unlike any other. The side project of Andrew McMahon, also the lead singer of Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin mixes piano rock with alternative pop. Their first album, “Everything in Transit,” could easily become the perfect playlist for a summer on the coast. With California overtones and fast-paced lyrics, McMahon crooned about his break up with longtime girlfriend. In 2008, “Glass Passenger” came along. McMahon was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005, right before the release of “Everything in Transit,” and so, “Glass Passenger” became the songs of empowerment and healing.

After three years that seemed far too long, on Oct. 4, “People and Things” arrived. Now singing about his marriage (with the same girlfriend he pined for in “Everything in Transit”), McMahon debuted the album to number one on Billboard Magazine’s alternative rock albums chart.

On tour to promote “People and Things,” Jack’s Mannequin performed at The Paramount, a gorgeous venue only a few months old,  in Huntington, NY on Oct. 12.

 Company of Thieves and Motion City Soundtrack opened the show with amazing energy. Company of Thieves released their first album in 2009, but for being such a young band, the audience met their songs with head-bops and even sang along. Genevieve Schatz, the lead singer, continuously thanked the audience for coming early to see an opening act, which only added to her cuteness factor. Motion City Soundtrack had everyone smiling, and the girls screamed every time lead singer Justin Pierre ran his hands through his untamed hair.

It seemed as if the crowd had multiplied within seconds as the piano rolled in complete with skeleton lights attached, and everyone grew closer with anticipation. Humbly, Andrew McMahon entered with his band, and of course, the crowd screamed. They opened with “Television,” a new track off “People and Things.” Even though their album was only about a week old, the crowd already had the words memorized. As expected, McMahon began the song with the melodic piano, but by the end, he was on his feet to start the show on a vibrant note.

The second song, “The Mixed Tape,” from Everything in Transit, brought the crowd back to the first few years of Jack’s. McMahon was all over the stage and engaged the audience with his edgy piano solos. There was a good balance of all three albums, as the third song, “Annie Use Your Telescope,” came off their second album. From the bassist to the drummer to the piano man himself, the stage had an energy that was incomparable to any other. The crowd ranged from teenagers to head-bopping mothers, yet everyone sang along with big smiles.

McMahon truly expressed his range when he went from an upbeat song like “Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die),” which had the crowd screaming and dancing, to a song like “Swim.” The rest of the band walked offstage, and the lights were focused on Andrew. He played the first few notes and the crowd was already screaming, knowing that he will soon sing one of the most motivational songs from “Glass Passenger.” The audience quietly sang along, knowing that each word was loaded with emotions and spirit. Cell phones and lighters came out to sway along to McMahon’s beautifully written lyrics.

Immediately following the melodic song, the band came back on stage and had the crowd jumping with “Bloodshot” and “The Resolution.” The show ended with “Dark Blue,” quite possibly one of the band’s most recognizable songs. Jack’s humbly thanked the crowd and exited, but only to return and perform one of the best encores I have ever witnessed. Promising to play only two more songs (“Hammers and Strings” and “Bruised”), McMahon displayed his punk-rock edge by singing on top of his grand piano and jumping off to a crowd going insane. After the set ended, he slyly looked over to the bassist, smiled, nodded, and Jack’s Mannequin performed the last song of the night: “La La Lie.” Out came the harmonica and the audience shouted the lyrics back at McMahon every time he brought the microphone over to the crowd.

It was humbling and chilling to see a man who had survived leukemia sing with all the energy he could fathom for the fans that stuck with him through it all. Clearly a source of inspiration for many, Andrew McMahon has grown from a musician who sang about the girls of California to one who can slam on those hammers and strings and sing effortlessly about love, heartbreak, society, lost friends, and of course, living.