Dashboard Confessional/Boys Like Girls – Anaheim House Of Blues, Anaheim, CA 10/24
By Jeffrey Easton
Dashboard Confessional are pioneers, having trekked for over 2 decades through the festivals, clubs, theaters and arenas and influencing scores of bands along the way. The staying power the band has displayed over the years is a rarity in this business, bands come and go, flame out and never heard from again but not DC. They are still selling out wherever they go, placing songs in movies, lately Carry This Picture in It Ends With Us. Dashboard and BLG couldn’t have been a better pairing.
Boys Like Girls just like Dashboard, have been around for years, grinded it out with Warped and other huge tours but did stop for quite a while. With the release of their debut S/T album, their star was lit quickly, with a gold certified album and multiple tours they quickly went through the next 2 records and as fast as it started, it was over.. At least until last year with the release of the long overdue Sunday At Foxwoods. But when they hit the HOB stage, it was as if no time had passed, the fans greeted them as if it was still 2006, a headlining act that still had control of the stage. Opening with Sunday At Foxwoods and Love Drunk, they made their announcement to Anaheim that they were the band they saw on Warped 2007 and were back in full force. Blood And Sugar from the new album really drew me in as I love the new record, it can hold it is on against the old stuff. Miracle is another insanely catchy track from the new album that had Anaheim rolling. The moment that stood out during their immense set was the closer, The Great Escape. Martin stated that when this single dropped, the crowds were into the show, there were no smart phones, it was just you in the crowd going crazy, not filming, so all the phones were put away. If you go back and watch the video, it was just hands in the air and all eyes on the band. So all the phones were put away and the band had the full attention of the crowd. I remember all of that, hundreds of tours and the kids were tuned into the band and it needs to go back to that, kudos to Boys Like Girls for bringing it back.
Dashboard Confessional has enjoyed immense success over the years, only stopping in the early 2010s to pursue some solo endeavors but the band was always coming back. Chris Carrabba is intense and talented, and it has shown no matter what he was doing. Tonight was no different, from the opening notes of The Best Deceptions the fans were all in on what was happening on stage. And I need to remark about the stage. The lighting rigs on the stage, encircling the keyboards and bass player, was lighting genius. It gave depth to the stage and character to the band members. As the band churned through The Sharp Hint Of New Tears, Southbound And Sinking, Remember to Breath, this sold out crowd was louder and louder. I do like the personal touch he gave to Carry This Picture as he related his kid went to see It Ends With Us and her fav part was his song. As they were playing Screaming Infidelities and The Swiss Army Romance I had to remind myself that these tracks were 24 years old now but yet the band played them as if they were new singles and the fans reacted as such. Vindicated, their vaunted stand out track that was featured, 20 years ago now this year, in Spiderman 2, was played to insane accolades from the fans and to me, is their standout track. I think the lyrics to Vindicated fits so well with so many peoples lives who have overcome so much.
This was an excellent pairing of bands, bringing the early 2000s Warped Tour sound to a new generation while still moving forward.
Dashboard Confessional Official Site
Boys Like Girls Official Site
By Jeffrey Easton
Dashboard Confessional are pioneers, having trekked for over 2 decades through the festivals, clubs, theaters and arenas and influencing scores of bands along the way. The staying power the band has displayed over the years is a rarity in this business, bands come and go, flame out and never heard from again but not DC. They are still selling out wherever they go, placing songs in movies, lately Carry This Picture in It Ends With Us. Dashboard and BLG couldn’t have been a better pairing.
Boys Like Girls just like Dashboard, have been around for years, grinded it out with Warped and other huge tours but did stop for quite a while. With the release of their debut S/T album, their star was lit quickly, with a gold certified album and multiple tours they quickly went through the next 2 records and as fast as it started, it was over.. At least until last year with the release of the long overdue Sunday At Foxwoods. But when they hit the HOB stage, it was as if no time had passed, the fans greeted them as if it was still 2006, a headlining act that still had control of the stage. Opening with Sunday At Foxwoods and Love Drunk, they made their announcement to Anaheim that they were the band they saw on Warped 2007 and were back in full force. Blood And Sugar from the new album really drew me in as I love the new record, it can hold it is on against the old stuff. Miracle is another insanely catchy track from the new album that had Anaheim rolling. The moment that stood out during their immense set was the closer, The Great Escape. Martin stated that when this single dropped, the crowds were into the show, there were no smart phones, it was just you in the crowd going crazy, not filming, so all the phones were put away. If you go back and watch the video, it was just hands in the air and all eyes on the band. So all the phones were put away and the band had the full attention of the crowd. I remember all of that, hundreds of tours and the kids were tuned into the band and it needs to go back to that, kudos to Boys Like Girls for bringing it back.
Dashboard Confessional has enjoyed immense success over the years, only stopping in the early 2010s to pursue some solo endeavors but the band was always coming back. Chris Carrabba is intense and talented, and it has shown no matter what he was doing. Tonight was no different, from the opening notes of The Best Deceptions the fans were all in on what was happening on stage. And I need to remark about the stage. The lighting rigs on the stage, encircling the keyboards and bass player, was lighting genius. It gave depth to the stage and character to the band members. As the band churned through The Sharp Hint Of New Tears, Southbound And Sinking, Remember to Breath, this sold out crowd was louder and louder. I do like the personal touch he gave to Carry This Picture as he related his kid went to see It Ends With Us and her fav part was his song. As they were playing Screaming Infidelities and The Swiss Army Romance I had to remind myself that these tracks were 24 years old now but yet the band played them as if they were new singles and the fans reacted as such. Vindicated, their vaunted stand out track that was featured, 20 years ago now this year, in Spiderman 2, was played to insane accolades from the fans and to me, is their standout track. I think the lyrics to Vindicated fits so well with so many peoples lives who have overcome so much.
This was an excellent pairing of bands, bringing the early 2000s Warped Tour sound to a new generation while still moving forward.
Dashboard Confessional Official Site
Boys Like Girls Official Site
