After many years as a sporadic concert venue, Bayfront Amphitheater launched its summer concert series with a bang. Local emo stars Dashboard Confessional fronted by the energetic Chris Carrabba are currently on tour with Third Eye Blind. As most of us Floridians know, outside anything during rainy season is always a crapshoot, and this was no exception. The rain was all around and it rained a little bit up until the warm up band took the stage. Once they were done, and it was time for Dashboard to take the stage, the rain never reappeared. It was wet, it was humid, but that didn’t stop Chris and his band from putting on an entertaining high energy set. Chris took the stage to a roaring applause and more than a handful of shrieks from the many ladies in attendance.
Having started in South Florida in the late 90’s, Dashboard Confessional has solid roots in the SoFlo music scene and community. The band from Boca Raton, took the stage and it sounded like a house party. The crowd was definitely a hometown crowd, and they were there mostly to see their favorite band perform. A lot of Dashboards songs have great melodies and Chris happily invites the crowd to sing along. Fan favorites “Screaming Infidelities”, “Stolen”, ”Hands Down”, filled the air with a harmonious wave, that put a smile on everyone’s face. The energy, friendly banter with the crowd, and the sea of smiling singing faces spoke volumes and highlighted the appreciation for Dashboard and for Chris. Chris genuinely looks like he is having a great time, and the reaction from the crowd was one of gratitude.
Dashboard and Chris will always be welcome home, and let’s hope it doesn’t take another 6 years for him to come back. After an intermission, ThirdEye Blind took the stage and basically hid in the dark for the first few songs. The crowd was smaller, due to the fact that a large chunk of the crowd was there strictly for Dashboard. That being said, 3EB played some of the songs that gave them a decent amount of fame in the late 90’s and early part of the 2000’s. Stephan Jenkins and crew made it quite difficult to grab any decent concert photos, since they decided to hide in the shadows. After our 3 song time frame was up, the lights slightly improved, and I’m sure they put on a decent show. If you get a chance, go see one of these shows, Dashboard Confessional will NOT disappoint, and 3EB will be there as well. Always support live music!
