Dashboard Confessional brings new style to Harbor Yard

It was 8:30 on the dot last Tuesday night when the lights in Harbor Yard went down, and emo heart throb Chris Carrabba sprinted onto stage followed by the rest of Dashboard Confessional. Carrabba greeted the not even half full arena, picked up his bright red Gibson SG guitar and busted into the band’s 2006 hit, ‘Don’t Wait.’
The band quickly jumped into the rest of its 12 song set, playing fan favorites such as ‘Screaming Infidelities,’ ‘The Good Fight,’ ‘Vindicated,’ and its most recently famous hit, ‘Stolen.’
Dashboard Confessional came to town as part of its Rock Band Live Fall tour, which also featured mainstream sensations Panic at the Disco and the Plain White T’s.
While Dashboard’s acoustic styling is much different from the pop punk of the rest of the tour, the band made a successful attempt to fit in by transforming many of its older, slower songs into more distortion driven rock ballads. Acoustic guitars were replaced by heavily distorted electric ones, being played over a heavier hitting drum kit.
The band still took time to slow down its sound, though, by playing its piano driven song, ‘The Widow’s Peak,’ off its newest album, ‘The Shade of Poison Trees.” The song was a highlight of its set not only because of its slower tempo, but also for its display of Carrabba’s amazing vocal capabilities.
The transition in sound was greatly accepted by the Bridgeport crowd, which consisted of a little less than 5,000 people, mostly under the age of 18. The younger crowd was most likely due to the main attraction, Panic at the Disco, who’s music appeals more to the younger MTV demographic.
Toward the tail end of the set, Dashboard was joined on stage by opening act The Plain White T’s to help perform a cover of Pink’s newest radio hit, ‘So What,’ which was certainly a crowd pleaser.
After thanking the crowd one last time, the band busted into its latest hit, ‘Stolen.’ The crowd was so loud singing along, one could barely hear that of front man Carrabba’s.
As the song finished, the four boys of Dashboard Confessional waved the crowd goodbye, fled the stage and left the crowd in awe at the amazing performance the band had pulled off.