Merriam-Webster defines emo music as “a style of rock music influenced by punk rock and featuring introspective and emotionally fraught lyrics.”
Although that definition is accurate and clears up some dark misconceptions about the genre, there is another simpler, two-word definition: Dashboard Confessional.
On March 7, the band brought the energy and emotion of their heartfelt music to Ottawa in front of a packed and sold out crowd at the Bronson Centre.
Nine years after their last studio album and a brief hiatus, Dashboard Confessional released Crooked Shadows on Feb. 9. Almost immediately after, they hit the road for their North America-wide We Fight Tour.
For the cross-Canada leg of the tour, Dashboard Confessional was joined by two very different, but fitting Canadian acts: Quebec City singer-songwriter Gabrielle Shonk and Keswick, Ont. indie rock band The Elwins.
Shonk was the first to take the stage. As fans found their way to their seats or to the front pit area, Shonk provided a calm and humble opening to the show. Accompanied by her band, Shonk’s set highlighted tracks from her 2017 self-titled debut album.
She sang in both English and French, which pleased the bilingual crowd, and boasted about her love for Dashboard Confessional, who she says she has been a fan of since she was a teenager.
Up next, The Elwins brought their colourful indie-pop energy and volume to the stage. The Elwins always seem to know what it takes to put on a fun show, and their opening set was no exception. They clearly looked like they were having a great time, and that carried across to the crowd.
By the end of it, the audience was rocking out to their upbeat hits like “So Down Low” and “Don’t Walk Away From Me.”
Finally, it was time for the evening’s headliners. The house lights dimmed, the crowd started cheering, and lead singer Chris Carrabba walked out on stage alone with his acoustic guitar. As the cheers faded away, Carrabba eased his way into the slow opening riff of “The Best Deceptions.” If that was a test to see if the crowd was ready to sing along, it was successful because the theatre was immediately filled with hundreds of voices singing the song’s gripping lyrics of heartbreak and betrayal.
Immediately after, the rest of Dashboard Confessional joined Carrabba on stage for “Don’t Wait.” The set mostly focused on hits from the early to mid-2000s, such as “The Sharp Hint of New Tears,” “As Lovers Go,” and “Again I Go Unnoticed,” but new songs like “We Fight,” “Belong,” and “Heartbeat Here” were significant parts of the show, and still got the crowd singing along.
The crowd went all out towards the end, carrying the choruses of “Screaming Infidelities” and “Vindicated.” After a brief stop off-stage, the band came back out in full force for an encore performance of “Hands Down,” arguably their most defining song, or as Carrabba always says, a song about “the best day I’ve ever had.”
Overall, the evening had a very special feeling. Emo music is a genre that gives people who feel rejected the chance to find a safe and accepting environment with people who share similar experiences and emotions, and it felt like the Bronson Centre was just that. Dashboard Confessional put on an incredibly heartfelt and meaningful performance, capping off an evening of great music.
Photo by Jeff Pelletier
