Dashboard Confessional @ The Marquee Theater (AZ)
Samantha Beggins
This Wild Life, Vinyl Theater and Dashboard Confessional at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona.
Words and photos by Kelly Fox!
This Wild Life
Vinyl Theater
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional certainly hasn’t been dormant—playing festivals and awards shows all last year, they left fans missing just one thing: a new album. Eight years after their most recent release, the band finally announced a new record in the works early last year. Naturally, die hard fans packed The Marquee Theater in Tempe, Arizona when they also announced a tour stop there.
This Wild Life started out the night with a dedication of their set to a young fan, who hopefully kicked off a long career of concert attendance. Although they looked like they could give a hardcore band a run for their money with long beards and sleeve tattoos, their set was primarily acoustic. During their last song, however, all the members switched instruments and positions, and brought a whole new energy to the song.
Just shy of two and a half years removed from their most recent release, Vinyl Theater gave Tempe a taste of the material on their sophomore record. The new album sheds quite a bit of the electronic bubblegum sound in favor of intense electric guitars and even keytars. The time between albums clearly gave the band room to grow in a different direction. Origami will be available for preorder Feb. 10, and the new track “The Island” has an especially exciting potential for the band.
Before this tour, keyboardist Chris Senner was tethered behind two perpendicular sets of keys. Down to one, the stage dynamic has changed as he’s able to move around with lead vocalist Keegan Calmes. All three members skipped long speeches and interaction with the audience, choosing to let their performances speak for themselves. The set was bouncy with a bite, and left the crowd more than ready for the headliner.
Dashboard Confessional then took the stage, which was prepped with a salt lamp for each member. The show provided a kind of stress ball for the audience, with concert goers shouting lyrics and swaying with friends, reminiscing about the times they listened to Dashboard in their bedrooms.
Truth be told, the band didn’t really need to be there. The crowd could have done all the work, so Chris Carrabba’s presence was essentially just a bonus. A truly gifted musician, Carrabba can belt hard-hitting notes for lengths of time that would make a lesser man pass out without batting an eyelash.
Taking time to talk about almost every song, the band had great chemistry with the audience. Carrabba responded “I love you too, sir, in a deep and sensual way,” to a fan that professed his love to him from across the room. The show did get vaguely political, but certainly with an intent of unity. Fans were encouraged to “find a middle ground here.”
Among the highlights was a performance from local Phoenix band Sundressed’s Trevor Hedges. He performed an acoustic song off the bands new record, which was to be released the next day. The song chosen meshed perfectly with Dashboard’s set, and got Sundressed’s name on the lips of many concert goers. Dashboard also chose Tempe to record vocals for a live version of “Heart Beat Here,” off their upcoming album.
An eclectic but cohesive mixture, This Wild Life, Vinyl Theater and Dashboard Confessional gave fans exactly what they were looking for—a taste of new music, a chance to revisit the past, and plenty of material to dance to. If there was anyone in the crowd who wasn’t unbelievably hype about new releases from both Vinyl Theater and Dashboard (there wasn’t), they have certainly been converted. February is looking to shape up to be an amazing month for Phoenix concerts, and if Dashboard Confessional at The Marquee was any indication, it won’t disappoint.