Dashboard Confessional at San Diego Observatory North Park

A night so good they did it twice — icons Dashboard Confessional graced San Diego on Tuesday, February 11th for their first of two sold-out shows at The Observatory North Park. Out for their 20 year celebration of the band’s history, they played a near two-hour set of their favorite sing-alongs, all the way to the deep cuts.

Opening the show strong was Piebald, hailing from the early 2000s post hardcore scene. Bursting into their first song, “The Monkey Verses the Robot”, the band kept the energy going throughout the entire 11-song set. The guys also played other hard-hitting hits, like “The Stalker” and “King of the Road”. Up next, Dashboard Confessional.

Every lyric was shouted back at Carrabba, all the way from the back of The Observatory

The lights dimmed, a few spotlights came on and Chris Carrabba took the stage solo with his acoustic guitar ready. Starting the show off with an incredible acoustic sing-along of “Best Deceptions”, it set the tone for a night of audience-wide singing from beginning to end. The hits continued, as the band came onstage and got the crowd completed riled with “Vindicated”, “The Good Fight” and “If You Can’t Leave It Be, Might as Well Make It Bleed”. The crowd didn’t skip a beat, as Carrabba effortlessly commanded the stage. Every lyric was shouted back at Carrabba, all the way from the back of The Observatory. The band left, yet the audience knew there was going to be more. Roaring so loud (I almost felt bad for the neighbors!!), the band came back to give the crowd exactly what they wanted. The guys slayed the stage with their smash hits in their encore: “The Swiss Army Romance”, “Stolen” and their grand finale, “Hands Down”. You do not want to miss this tour, as the guys continue their 20 year celebration through the Midwest and Northeast United States through March!

Photography by Franny Kovacs

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