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Date: October 3, 2003

Venue: The Aragon - Chicago

Bands: Brand New, MXPX and Dashboard Confessional

From the powerful anthems of Brand New, to the pop-punk of MXPX, to the melancholy, yet compelling sounds of Dashboard Confessional, this show had something for everyone.

Brand New hit the stage promptly at 7:00p.m. and got the show off to an emotional energetic start. It was the second time I've seen Brand New and I can honestly say they've only gotten better. This band may really be the next big thing. Their music gets lumped in to the "punk" scene, but the only thing that is punk is the band's ethos. Brand New is not a cookie cutter band. In fact their simply cutting edge.

Aesthetically, Brand New seems like a lighthearted, subtle emo band, that combines punk riffs with both sung and screamed vocal textures. The vocals harmonize and add texture the music with a uniqueness unmatched by any band in music today. When seeing Brand New live that initial "light" or "alternative" sense that they emit on their albums is erased by sheer power!

The band opened its set with the first vocal track off Deja Entendu, "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" and had the crowd captivated right from the first strum of the guitar. As vocalist Jesse Lacey sang and became red in the face from screaming and belting out his emotions, so did the crowd. They sang along with almost every word. Some bands glow with intensity during a live set and Brand New is one of those bands. No matter how unfamiliar someone may be with them, it is hard not to enjoy them. They are astounding performers.

Lacey played the set with a suit coat and white collared shirt that just seemed to fit the band. As punk as their music, yet a different kind of punk. The band played mainly songs off the new album [Deja Entendu], but played a couple of songs off Your favorite Weapon as well. They played their MTV2 hit "The Quiet Places No One Ever Knows," while the crowd sang a long like a backing choir.

Brand New closed with "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't," during which Chris Carrabba (of Dashboard Confessional) came out to sing with the band. At this point the crowd was going so crazy and was so loud that the vocals could barely even be heard. It was truly an amazing set. Brand New is headlining a tour now!

It seemed a little strange to have MXPX as an opener for Dashboard Confessional. MXPX have been around for over 10 years now, have a bunch of albums under their belt and have headlined tours like Cornerstone and Warped Tour. Therefore a 30 minute set was a tad underwhelming, but the band made the best of it. Covered in tattoos and piercings, vocalist Mike Herrera delivered the music in his classic "punk rawk" voice that has set the band apart as one of the leaders in its genre.

MXPX put a spring in the fans' shoes, opening with "My Life Story" off The Ever Passing Moment and "Well Adjusted" off the band's newest album Before Everything and After. Normally, the members of MXPX are all over the stage, jumping and launching their guitars into the air, but this set was different. Despite the huge stage that the Aragon offers, MXPX seemed more concerned with getting in a bunch of songs, than stage acrobatics.

As the short set rocked along, MXPX strayed away from some of their new material and played songs like "Chick Magnet" and "Responsibility." Herrera even came out on stage with an acoustic guitar and played a solo version of "Buildings Tumble."

And what would a punk rock show be without a balls out punk rock song? It wouldn't be an MXPX set. The band closed its set with the crowd engaging song "Punk Rawk Show" and hurried off the stage leaving a trail of smoke in their path.

By now, most people familiar with Dashboard Confessional know what to expect during a live show. It's not "lets pogo up and down and throw each other into the person standing next to us," it's "lets burn our fingers as we illuminate our lighters all night."

For someone who loves an energetic show Dashboard's set was rather boring and drawn out. But for those in love with this emo god it was the best time of their life. It was obvious that the vast majority of the crowd was there for Dashboard. They were in awe of Chris Carrabba and sang along to every single last word of every single last song the band played. Despite many people saying Dashboard is now more than just Carrabba, the live show tells otherwise. The lighting was focused on the singer, creating smoky halos of blue, red and purple lights that highlighted him at center stage. It was almost as though this emo god had descended from rock heaven for his followers to worship him. And worship him they did. At times I felt more like I was at a Pentecostal church service than a "rock" show. Fans stretched their arms out high and opened their hands wide as they meditated on Dashboard's music.

Dashboard Confessional was on stage for close to an hour and a half and played songs like "The Brilliant Dance" and "The Good Fight." Again there were times when the crowd overpowered Carrabba's vocals and sometimes he would stop singing and let the fans carry the song.

Carrabba gave a shout out to Brand New, saying the band was an inspiration to him and moments later Jesse Lacey came out to sing with Carrabba. Of course Dashboard played "Screaming Infidelities," but not as the closer to the set.

It's obvious that the fans would have spent the entire night listening to Carrabba if they could, but Dashboard finished its set and the crowd reluctantly shuffled out of the venue.

It may have been an odd group of bands. Especially with adding MXPX, but they were an important element to keeping the fans alert and on fire.

By: Adam K. Zakrocymski III - Senior Editor / Founder

November 4, 2003.

Brand New

MXPX

Dashboard Confessional

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