DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL AT STONE PONY SUMMER STAGE IN ASBURY PARK
The excitement of heading to a show to see one of your favorite artists is something surreal. I think one of the few things to top that, is having a show with not one, but two headlining acts. Dashboard Confessional and Andrew McMahon recently made a stop in Asbury Park, NJ while on their current co-headlining tour. The “Hello Gone Days Tour” is just at its peak, and they made sure to deliver one hell of a performance while on the Stone Pony Summer Stage.
Dashboard Confessional took to the stage first. After a powerful acoustic opening with “The Brilliant Dance”, the rest of the band joined Chris Carrabba on stage. The weather was perfect with clear skies and enjoyable weather. Add the dynamics of this band and the power of Carrabba’s voice, and you truly were enjoying a perfect summer evening down at the Jersey Shore. The band continued to rock the crowd with “The Better of Me”, “Saints and Sailors”, and “Stolen”. They made sure to hold on to some classics as they neared the end of their set. Before that, Carrabba gave love to his crew. Once he got to Chris Kamrada, Chris gave the crowd one of his epic solos and devoured that drum kit! Screaming “Infidelities”, “Vindicated”, and “Hands Down” would close out this set for Dashboard and leave the crowd with cheers you could hear blocks away.
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness was up next. This was my first time hearing of him as an artist and hearing his music live. I was absolutely blown away. There really isn’t a better way for me to describe what I both heard and watched. I had plenty of friends in the crowd that were there to see both bands. They described Andrew McMahon the best they could, but no words could express just how talented and amazing these guys actually were. From start to the finish, I stood and just watched, loving every moment of it. I was able to reconnect with a long-time friend who was there with her two daughters. Both she and I are from one generation – and then both of her girls from another, one being 18 and the other still in single digits. I watched all 3 of them – with memorized lyrics – all smiles and all enjoying different favorites as Andrew and his band played on. There truly is something special behind that. As time goes on and different aspects of life change, we tend to just go with it. If there is one thing that can always bring people together, no matter age wise or from a time of a different generation, music will always be something powerful enough to bring us all together. Andrew McMahon did just that, and I could not have been happier to have attended this show both as a photographer and as a fan.