I was in 7th grade when I was first introduced to Jack’s Mannequin. He played a set on a show called One Tree Hill and he owned it. Usually when they air episodes with Tric and bands performing live, I like the song, but I wanted to watch the characters, not a recording of a band playing live. 

That’s not how it was when Andrew took the stage. I was captivated. And he was singing “The Mixed Tape,” so really, did I ever have a chance? Probably not. I was absolutely enthralled and bought “Everything in Transit” immediately. I didn’t really absorb how emotional the music was at 13, but half of the reason I got up in the morning was to listen to “The Mixed Tape” and “Dark Blue.” 

I don’t know if I’ve ever met a Jack’s Mannequin fan who didn’t identify with “Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?” Even though I couldn’t pin point what it was, there was something about Andrew’s words and Andrew’s voice that was so comforting. I didn’t feel alone anymore.

Fast forward a few years, sophomore year of high school. I go through a really hard break up and just in general, a really hard time. Everything I knew was falling apart and I was stuck in the middle. One night, I just sat in bed and put my iTunes on shuffle. The first song to come on?
“There, There Katie”
It’s an emotional, beautiful, wonderful song to begin with, but considering some people call me “Katie,” I really felt that Andrew was singing to me. That he was telling me that everything was going to be alright, that he needed me to be brave. I don’t have an older brother. And that song made me feel like through some cosmic, magical, artist-listener internal connection, I could borrow Andrew for a little while to get through this time in my life.

Now I’m a freshman in college and I don’t need Andrew’s music to get me through the day, but you can probably still find me jamming out to “La La Lie” on my way to class in the mornings. When I first began listening to him, I never even let myself entertain the idea that I would ever see him live. So, it didn’t feel like a dream come true when Andrew took the stage last night. It just didn’t feel real at all. 

I’d prepared myself to cry for a week. I mean, hearing “The Mixed Tape” live was sure to get me, right? Nope. I was too busy trying to sing my heart out, take pictures, take video, record the moment, memorize everything about it that I didn’t give myself the time to accept what was happening, who I was listening to, and just how close I was to him. It wasn’t until he “ended the show” and left that I realized what had happened. It wasn’t until then that I realized seeing Andrew had filled me with happiness because suddenly I felt empty not having him on stage. When he came back on for his encore, “Caves,” I lost it. It was so beautiful. He was so beautiful. And best of all, I had him back in my life for just a moment longer. I was crying and I felt this deep connection to him that had been kindled in high school, even though he has a multitude of fans like me and probably a lot more with heart breaking stories that relate to Andrew. But that doesn’t matter.

Talking to Andrew for the few moments I was able to, I realized how amazing he actually is. There’s no describing it when you meet someone who is actually interested in you. Even though he meets thousands of people, and I’m sure their faces all blur together for him, he makes a connection with you and makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world.

I’ll never forget him telling my friends and I that he recognized us from the front of the crowd during the show. And I’ll never forget how he called me “darling” before hugging me. I’ll never forget the joke about parents and dogs and Skype. I’ll never forget any of it. And I hope one day, I’ll meet Andrew again and be able to form coherent words around him so I can tell him just how much he’s meant to me for the past 6 years - and I’m sure, for many, many years to come.

(Source: onemoreforluck)