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Aaron Mannino: Live @ The Sunset 10.27.06

This show was a new experience for me in many ways. This was my first time seeing Aaron live, and my first time seeing a show at the Sunset while I was sober. My last show experience at the Sunset was on my 21st birthday, and of course, I was a little off my game that night.
Though this was my first time seeing Aaron live, it didn't feel like it. I have been listening to his music via myspace obsessively for the past month or so. His songs have a lot of subtle and random quirks to them, that make his music fun and addicting. It was great to finally see him live.
Mannino played a total of five songs with a full band and played four songs solo.
He began his set with my favorite song, 'Give me more'. He played this song as a 'full band'- having a bassist and drummer playing, with him on keys. Now, before I go any further, I must mention that the bassist had his bass amp turned up a bit too high and you could hear the clicking of the bass strings in the speakers. It was extremely distracting. Besides that, this was a great way to start the set. ‘Give me more’ was performed really well by Aaron. His vocals were really clean.
'The Present Moment' was the first solo song of his set. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this song live. I wasn't that impressed with this song when I first heard it, but hearing it live made me a fan of it. There was an element that was missing in the recording of this song, which is there when he plays it live.
Mannino then moved on to play a second solo song, that wasn't as impressive. 'Home' was a great song, and had its high spots, but Mannino's vocals were really shaky during this song. This was one of the very few times during his set that I was unimpressed.
Aaron went on to play four more songs before ending on 'Not Enough'. He played this song as a full band, and I think it was a great song to end a set on. The song had a lot of energy, stemming from the drums, and it left the audience on a high note.
This show was all in all a good show. I wasn't blown away by Mannino's performance; I'd like to see more energy/passion from him. There were times when the audience and their talking got nearly as loud as Aaron’s singing. Perhaps Mannino should consider more audience interaction as well.
Aaron Mannino showed me enough talent on stage that I have faith that he has a lot more in him. I am eager to see where his musical career will lead him, and hope to be blown away by him- like I know I could be.

Reviewed by Jacquee.