Dashboard Confessional Captivate LA Crowd at The Wiltern - Review

It’s hard to beat the historic beauty of The Wiltern. A true staple of the Los Angeles music scene, The Wiltern continues to serve as one of the most legendary venues around. So then, couple this pristine location with a live band as tight as Dashboard Confessional, and boy are you in for a show.

Fortunately, that’s exactly what my night looked like as alt-rock icons Dashboard Confessional graced The Wiltern stage for yet another sold out night on their 2020 tour.

Embedded content is no longer available.

Fan Instagram Photo Dashboard Confessional Marquee

And this isn’t just any old show. Deemed an anniversary tour, Dashboard Confessional’s current run is celebrating a two-decade-long career that has consisted of seven full-studio albums alongside a range of compilation, live and solo records.

Considering the success and prominence of both The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001) and A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar (2003), the guys, led by frontman Chris Carrabba, have decided to feature more songs off of those tracklists than any other album during this tour.

In fact, in some cities, back-to-back shows have even given the band the chance to play one of the two albums in its entirety on either night. Talk about a clever promotion.

In Los Angeles, the single date forced Dashboard Confessional to stick to a more traditional show. And I’m not complaining.

Following a 45-minute, jam-packed opening set by special guest Piebald, Dashboard Confessional took the stage for a nearly 2-hour long performance that seemingly flew by in an instant. Somehow, Carrabba just knows how to reel in an audience.

Featuring a 17-song main set and 2-song encore, the Los Angeles setlist pulled a large handful of songs from both of the celebratory albums at-hand, while still managing to balance the alt-rockers’ greatest hits and deep cuts along the way.

Check out Dashboard Confessional’s complete setlist here!

Dashboard Confessional Setlist @ Wiltern Theatre 02/14/20

In all, the night was divided into three main sections— the acoustic set, the full band set and an encore.

As the lights dimmed on the set turnover, Carrabba made his way to center stage alone for the band’s opening hit “The Best Deceptions.” And while I wouldn’t consider the single song an entirely different set from the rest, the solo acoustic established a precedent for what was to come.

From the moment Carrabba set foot on stage, I was captivated, and not necessarily by the frontman himself (although I was sincerely impressed by his vocals), but by his sheer ability to seduce an entire crowd of two-thousand within seconds.

As the rest of the members joined him on stage, that fascination with Carrabba didn’t seem to fade as Dashboard Confessional continued with a roll of celebratory hits including “Vindicated,” “The Good Fight,” “If You Can’t Leave It Be, Might as Well Make It Bleed,” “Saints and Sailors” and “Several Ways to Die Trying.”

Dashboard Confessional Perform "Vindicated" Live 02/14/20

Just as the first main set came to a close, it became clear that Carrabba isn’t alone in the realm of clear talent. Alongside the guitarist/vocalist is a featured band that consists of original, long-time and new members alike such as Scott Schoenbeck (bass), Armon Jay (guitar), Dane Poppin (guitar) and Chris Kamrada (drums).

The full band dynamic would be short-lived, however, as the main acoustic set began with renditions of “Reason to Believe,” “Carry This Picture,” “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most,” “Remember to Breathe” and a bit of a deep cut in “Heart Beat Here.”

With his distinguishable raspy voice and frequent moments of self-reflection at the forefront, Carrabba kept the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout the entire main acoustic set, even using us from time-to-time as vocal backup to fill in the lingering lyrics.

On the final stretch, the full band joined Carrabba back on stage for three more performances before a premature bow to indicate an encore to come.

Taking advantage of the moment, Dashboard Confessional forwent a longer break to return after only a few seconds of anticipation. It seems the musicians were just as excited as we were.

Performing two of their most-played live hits, “Stolen” and “Hands Down,” the group left everything they had at the crown of each instrument, giving us fans a final moment to savor the reality in front of us.

Dashboard Confessional Perform "Hands Down" Live 02/14/20

As the ten year-old boy next to me sang his heart out during the last verse of “Hands Down,” it became blatantly obvious that while Dashboard Confessional was musically impressive, it was their unifying spirit that truly made being a part of the packed crowd as enjoyable as it was.

In the end, the audience around me somehow managed to become part of the show itself. So what I thought would be good entertainment, turned into a spectacular night at the hands of everyone around me, including the main act.

With numerous shows still remaining on their 20th Anniversary Tour through March, there is still plenty of time to catch Dashboard Confessional live during the new year. See a full list of remaining 2020 tour dates below and don’t forget to check out LiveNation for ticketing information!

Dashboard Confessional 20th Anniversary Tour Dates:

02/15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
02/16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore* +
02/18 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox*
02/19 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom*
02/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot*
02/22 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre*
02/23 – Kansas City, MO @ Truman^
02/25 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue^
02/26 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave^
02/28 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues^ %
02/29 – Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues^ +
03/03 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews %
03/04 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews +
03/06 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live^
03/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
03/10 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall^ %
03/11 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall^ +
03/13 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom^
03/14 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^ %
03/15 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club^ +
03/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts^ %
03/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts^ +
03/20 – Boston, MA @ Paradise^ %
03/21 – Boston, MA @ Paradise^ +
03/26 – Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues^
03/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade^
03/28 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium^

% Performing The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most
+ Performing A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar

* w/ Piebald
^ w/ The Get Up Kids

Karma Police - Please Share:

Most played songs