Goo Goo Dolls & Dashboard Confessional give St. Louis summer anthems

One of my last concerts for the month of August felt exactly how those dwindling last few weeks of summer feel: reflective, moody, and nostalgic, with a little chill in the air. That’s how it felt seeing Goo Goo Dolls headline with Dashboard Confessional on the 21st. Both bands had a significant impact on the early years of my adolescence—following along with me like a soundtrack to my life—and here I was now… an adult in my 30s, replaying it all back again.

It was a beautiful night at Saint Louis Music Park and I was eager to not only see Goo Goo Dolls live for the first time, but to also see Dashboard Confessional perform for the second time roughly 16 years after my first go-round. Would they both play all of my favorites? Will their songs sound just how they used to be?

I’m happy to say that the concert was even better than I had anticipated.

Dashboard Confessional lead singer Chris Carrabba walked onto the stage with such a genuine and sincere presence; whether he was speaking or singing, he made the entire venue feel calm and serene. For half of the set, a dragonfly landed right on his mic and stayed there for each song, drawn to the music as much as the rest of us were. I looked around to see so many young women standing and passionately singing “Remember to Breathe” with a loving ache — myself being one of them. I thought back to all the times as a teenager belting out “Stolen” and was doing so again this night. The band’s performance was like sharing a conversation between an old childhood friend… it was a script of familiar lyrics about wholesome love anyone could relate to.

This performance was part of Goo Goo Dolls’ Summer Anthem Tour, an introduction to their newest EP of the same name, released the very next day. John Rzeznik and Robby Takac were phenomenal, giving an excellent concert showcasing all the best of their alternative hits, including “Black Balloon” and “Iris”, the crowd especially excited for the latter. When playing songs from their newest EP, the mood shifted a bit with upbeat rhythms and inspirational lyrics. Their song “Ocean” might just be a new favorite of mine from the piano chords alone. The entire Goo Goo Dolls set was well-balanced, giving us the classics we hoped for plus newer tracks woven in just right. Since seeing this performance, my love for the Goo Goo Dolls’ music has been reawakened and I’m eager to see what more they plan to bring us next!

Photography by Sean Rider; recap by Michelle Zigler

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