McMahon, Williams give benefit poignancy

In terms of charity, there’s been so much to deal with globally in the last year -- tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods -- that acting locally seemed an afterthought. But it doesn’t get much more local than when Andrew McMahon performed the closing set of the 15th annual Gimme Shelter concert, held Monday at the Roxy and benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Research Fund and the New West Charter School.

The 23-year-old musician, best known as leader of the Orange County alt-pop band Something Corporate, found out in May that he has acute lymphatic leukemia and underwent brutal stem cell treatment. He’s been actively supporting the cancer research organization.

“You think when you’re young that things are going to go perfectly,” McMahon said. “And of course they don’t.”

That he was introducing a song titled “21 and Invincible,” written three years ago as a wry reminder to himself not to take life for granted, gave extra resonance -- even more so following a short set marked by youthful, romantic yearning, elastic melodies and his economical piano.

He’d already provided a highlight in a duet with country-folk songstress Lucinda Williams on her passionate “Essence,” a moment linking older fans drawn by Williams and the younger ones mostly there to see McMahon and a solo set by Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet.

Other acts were the trio Supernaut, duo SpeechwriterLLC, singer-songwriters Matt Costa and Trevor Hall, as well as Evan Slamka of Marjorie Fair, whose Radiohead-like melancholy was enticing, but had trouble grabbing the attention of the crowd.

Greenwald provided comic relief, singing to prerecorded tracks played from an iPod with a manner bringing to mind Ashton Kutcher -- if Kutcher were a very talented, engaging musician and songwriter.

McMahon, Williams and the band Son Volt provided the most poignant moments. Williams introduced the new “What If?,” which mused on reversals of circumstance whimsical and serious, sentiments echoed with beautiful sadness two songs later with her older “World Without Tears.” And when Son Volt’s Jay Farrar, formerly partner of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy in the alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, sang “may the wind take your troubles away” from his song “Windfall,” it was fitting for both global and local concerns.