Dashboard Confessional
Cedar Park, Texas
July 3, 2016
I didn’t do a head count, but I bet there were a ton of 32-year old women at this show. Granted, it was an evening-long festival – the Taste of Chaos Tour with tourmates Taking Back Sunday, Saosin and The Early November – but I think the lion’s share were there to see the evening’s finale, Dashboard Confessional. They wanted to sing along with the artist they discovered 16 years ago when they were 16-year-old high school girls. It wasn’t only girls in the audience. The ratio was just under half and half, but from all appearances the guys present were all very in touch with their feminine side.
Dashboard came on after Taking Back Sunday’s energetic set, which included frontman Adam Lazzara demurring to the headliner in his opener-speak lines about the next act up. While Dashboard is known for its charismatic frontman, Chris Carrabba, they are a recording and touring band. Thus, four guys walked out and started rocking out to the Spiderman 2 soundtrack single, “Vindicated,” at the start of their 90-minute set. They kept moving along at a relaxed pace, playing through “Sharp Hint of New Tears” from the very first Swiss Army Romance album. This got some of the loyal die-hards proving their mettle by singing along. “The Good Fight” and “Saints and Sailors,” both from the breakout full-length, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, followed next with even louder and more enthusiastic singing along. This was a several thousand seat indoor arena (which serves as an indoor rink for the Texas Stars minor league hockey team), so the wide open acoustics didn’t exactly support the intimate karaoke club settings that Dashboard shows were known for prior to mega indie cred stardom. Nevertheless, there was a bit of magic in the air, even if it was diluted with lots of oxygen.
The band played “No News is Bad News” and then they left Chris alone with his acoustic for a few numbers. He pouted out “Ghost of a Good Thing,” albeit with a little less angst than he emoted back in 2001. Then another crowd favorite – “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most.” Carrabba confessed that “there’s something about those first three records. I just like the older (bleep) better.
He introduced a brand new song that would be on the upcoming new album. He coached the crowd to sing along once they heard the chorus once, about hearing “your heart beat here.” It went over well and he let out a big indie rock hoot of approval at the end.
“Bend and Not Break” was a cool mid-set mood changer. Carrabba strummed it out himself at the start, sounding sweet and chiming. Midway after a chorus, though, the band comes in with a nice full power chord and the video screens behind lit up with a beautiful red sky of clouds. The dynamics it created reminded me of that black and white into color moment that U2 did with “Where the Streets Have No Name” in the Rattle and Hum movie.
For “The Best Deceptions,” Carrabba alternated between singing verses and dropping out for the audience to pelt out big vocals – “And all the best deceptions and clever cover story awards go to you.” It was participatory fun on a grand scale. Drummer Mike Marsh was hitting the drums and cymbals with big, felt mallets to keep the sound minimalized for the song. Later on the band ratched up the energy with climbing, chiming guitars.
There were not many breaks and nary a lost moment, as Dashboard Confessional kept rolling along. “Don’t Wait” and “Again I Go Unnoticed” brought back various memories for the thousands in attendance. It was interesting to see Carrabba stand on his toes a lot, as if it helped him hit higher notes. He even took a few steps back, as if an on point ballet dancer, but never straying too far from the microphone. His voice certainly carries a long way.
“Screaming Infidelities” betrayed the hope in our hearts that the show would go on forever. Surely it meant that the set was winding down. It was still a high moment to savor. They wrapped things up with a cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” and “Stolen” (from Dusk and Summer).
The band thanked the audience, waved and walked off. The crowd hadn’t had enough and the band obliged with a couple more – “Texas Love Song” (a cover of Slaid Cleaves) and “Hands Down,” which made everyone happy. Apparently guitarist John Lefler and bassist Scott Schoenbeck were the happiest, as they flailed away on their instruments until they hit the ground and then spazzed out by spinning around as if running in place half-sideways while on their backs.
It was over. It was good. Not quite the epic and legendary events from 16 years ago, but filled with enough nostalgic power and good tunes to lift an arena crowd up for an evening.
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