By Annie Sferrazza

Last week, singer/songwriter Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional came to the University’s J.C. Adams Playhouse for a special on campus performance last week. However, his solo performance was hardly a new step for Carrabba; for before there was Dashboard Confessional the band, there was Dashboard Confessional the solo artist.

Nevertheless, he did not come alone. Opening up for him was good friend and up and coming artist, John Ralston. Though his emotional songs and lyrics were hardly a far cry from that of Carrabba’s, it was a solid performance and very well received by the audience, who were anxiously awaiting Dashboard Confessional’s performance. Ralston’s song, “Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight” seemed to be a favorite, and really got the audience going.

Ralston’s set lasted about a half hour, and it was but another half hour before Dashboard Confessional took the stage. Opening with, “The Good Fight” from the album, Places You’ve Come to Fear the Most, he enticed the crowd immediately. Carrabba intensely performed each song, putting his heart and soul into every note. The live performance was far better than the vocals heard on his albums. The more popular songs were chanted back by the crowd, which was exactly what Carrabba had asked for. He didn’t seem to be used to the large, seated venue, and after hinting a few times that it was awkward for the audience to be sitting, the crowd finally rose to its feet, singing and swaying with their cell phones in the air.

“Screaming Infidelities,” again off of his album, Places You’ve Come to Fear the Most, was received with many smiles and lots of cheering. Carrabba asked for help on the song, meaning he wanted the crowd to really sing along and stated that he really didn’t like the song all that much. Needless to say, the crowd did.

After about an hour of guitar playing and singing, Carrabba said goodbye and walked off of the stage, which only led the audience to beg for more. It was no surprise when he came back out for his encore, performing four more songs for the crowd. “Vindicated,” Dashboard Confessional’s hit song from the Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack, and the song that launched them onto mainstream radio, had the crowd going crazy. But the most energetic song was of course, the final song of the night-“Hands Down,” off of the most recent album, A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. The extended ending and unmistakable emotion put into the song let the crowd know that he meant it.

The overall performance was undoubtedly a memorable one from the crowd’s reaction. The show was very laid back and casual; Carrabba seemed to be comfortable performing for the audience who were all there, solely to see him. Alison Minott, a fan seated in the tenth row, stated, “I really liked how the opening act got the fans riled up. And even though Chris was solo, he had as much energy as a whole band.”

Carrabba mixed songs from all three of his major albums, giving the older fans what they wanted and the newer fans what they expected to hear. His performance lasted just about an hour and a half, and was intertwined with his usual heartfelt songs and Carrabba’s chit chat with the audience. Though the show wasn’t in the kind of venue that one would normally see an emo band perform in, the fans still had a good time cheering and moving along to the music in their seats.