Dashboard galvanizes fans

"It's good to be back in D.C.," remarked singer/songwriter Chris Carraba as he and his band, Dashboard Confessional, took the stage of Washington's 9:30 Club on Oct. 10. After all, it was through playing small venues like this one that the members of the Florida band were able to establish the loyal fan base they now boast. Fresh off of their summer tour with Weezer, Dashboard Confessional seemed excited to be headlining their own tour this fall. The arguably meager size of the club in which the band performed did not reflect the atmosphere of intense energy. Carraba and his band mates looked out upon a wall-to-wall expanse of anxious underage college students who were standing uncomfortably close to one another, yet knew that the impending musical experience would be well worth the temporary discomfort.

The audience pulsated with anticipation as the performers launched into their first song of the night, "Standard Lines." The opener was not quite as dramatic as it could have been. Although the band's talent was clearly evident throughout the performance, this song, in all its mellow glory, did not reach the audience in the way that an opening number truly ought to. This blunder proved to be the only low point of the show, however, as the band proceeded to follow the opener with "Saints and Sailors," an obvious crowd-pleaser. The audience sang along as Dashboard progressed into a rousing version of "The Sharp Hint of New Tears."

Carraba's following presentation of "Swiss Army Romance" constituted one of the show's most precious moments. His three band mates exited the stage, leaving Carraba alone beneath the central spotlight with his acoustic guitar. Carraba skillfully built upon the song's inherent melodious beauty by alternating the dynamics between soft and softer, right up until a sudden and breathtaking climax of sound at the song's conclusion.

Despite Carraba's apparent instrumental capabilities, his lyrics consistently serve as the means by which he connects with his listeners. His songs are typically about lonely individuals with broken hearts. He expresses notions of feeling lost and out of place, of yearning for a love that never seems to blossom, of lamenting a relationship as it spirals down into the depths of unhappiness. With Carraba's strikingly honest lyrics, young listeners across the country have discovered a source of music to which they can truly relate. Admittedly, Carraba seems to get almost as much attention for his looks as he does for his heart-wrenching lyrics.

Among the concert's additional highlights were several new songs played by the band, including "Tonight I'll Take What I Can Get," which is currently available for preview on the official Dashboard Confessional Web site. The new tune features a unique beat that is oddly reminiscent of a country western song. Carraba assured his audience that this is "not the direction we are heading in. We just wanted to have some fun."

Another song that provoked a noteworthy reaction from the crowd is "Screaming Infidelities," which was released earlier this year as a single off of the group's latest full-length album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most. The group won an MTV2 award for the video of this song, and at the concert, Carraba revealed that "this song is about a girl that I used to like ? but I don't really like her anymore," sending the audience into frenzied applause. Other songs that galvanized the audience include "The Good Fight" and "Again I Go Unnoticed."

The band performed their trademark encore, delving right into "For You to Notice?," the first track off of their new LP, So Impossible. He followed this up with the LP's title track, then "Remember to Breathe." The ballad's gorgeous melodies were blended with brilliant harmony by Carraba's high-pitched wail to produce a fabulous explosion of sound from the stage.

Just as the audience was convinced that this was as good as it was going to get, Dashboard Confessional bounced back one more time with a riveting rendition of "Hands Down," a song which Carraba claims is written about "the best day of [his] life." This is the last installment of the "story" told on the So Impossible LP and was, therefore, a fitting end to the night's performance. The song, however, did not end when the audience expected it to. Instead, the band continued to play the back-up music while Carraba began to incorporate a medley of lyrics from other Dashboard Confessional songs not yet played during the concert. The most notable of these glossed-over songs was "This Bitter Pill," during which Carraba literally screamed the words in a haunting display of genuine frustration and raw emotion. The lyrics of "Hands Down" were resurrected, and when the musical fury subsided, the audience was tremendously satisfied with the show.