It was a night of nostalgic rock brought by co-headliners Dashboard Confessional and Jimmy Eat World on the final stop of their tour. The performance was held at 713 Music Hall, Houston’s newly developed venue, located in the heart of downtown at POST HTX, on March 22.
Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional is the wordsmith, musical poet, and the individual that knows how it feels like to wear one’s heart out on their sleeve. He started the night of out by walking out on stage with his sunburst acoustic guitar and began to sing “The Brilliant Dance.” His lyrics projected: “So this is odd, the painful realization that all has gone wrong.” If you are a fan of Dashboard Confessional it was very likely that every thought, memory, or relation to his emotional songs were blaring from the top of your lungs.
After Carrabba finished his opening song he talked about how he didn’t have the slightest clue about what to do after finishing the last night on tour. Carrabba nonchalantly expressed “I guess I’ll go home and mow the grass.” Then went off to say, “Lets play some old songs.” The lights dimmed to a warm glow, lighting up all six members of the band.
Carrabba asked the audience, “If I sing something will you sing it back to me?” The crowd immediately responded with cheers of approval then the melodic vocal line of “Don’t Wait” filled the air. It felt as if the whole venue was singing along. Atmospheric beams of light were gleaming throughout the open space above the crowd of people while Carrabba belted out his songs of heartache, crazy dysfunctional love, and anguish.
They ended their set with an extended outro of “Hands Down,” consisting of hard hitting down beats and cymbals. With a final farewell, Chris Carrabba yelled, “Thank you so much for having us!”
A dark silhouette took to the stage. Jim Adkins, of Jimmy Eat World appeared as the band started to play “Futures.” The lights faded into a dark blue hue illuminating the stage with the band’s name appearing in white lettering. Hard hitting power chords from the guitar blared over the speakers. After a couple of songs, Adkins addressed the crowd, “It feels good to be back. We have some old songs that we are going to play… I guess they are all old at this point,” as he transitioned into “Bleed American”.
In that moment, you might realize how musical preferences could change overtime. These songs are from a time when music was evolving into popular alternative rock, EMO, soft punk, pop-punk, or into a labeled genre that one could feel comfortable expressing their own insight. It brought a feeling of wistful affection as the hits were performed. That night possibly brought lost memories for some, or conjured up feelings from the past. It is possible that familiarity circled your thoughts as the music played that night.
Dashboard Confessional:
1.) The Brilliant Dance
2.) The Good Fight
3.) The Sharp Hint of New Tears
4.) Don’t Wait
5.) Turpentine Chaser
6.) The Better of Me
7.) Carry This Picture
8.) Saints and Sailors
9.) Remember to Breathe
10.) Stolen
11.) The Best Deceptions
12.) Screaming Infidelities
13.) Again I Go Unnoticed
14.) Vindicated
15.) Hands Down
Jimmy Eat World:
1.) Futures
2.) Pain
3.) Bleed American
4.) All the Way (Stay)
5.) For Me This Heaven
6.) Lucky Denver Mint
7.) Get Right
8.) Big Casino
9.) 555
10.) Hear You Me
11.) Kill
12.) Blister
13.) Let It Happen
14.) Work
15.) A Praise Chorus
16.) Sweetness
17.) The Middle
Encore:
18.) 23
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