This past Saturday night, Andrew McMahon and Dashboard Confessional brought their Hello Gone Days tour to Charlotte, NC. In an intentional attempt to create a night of nostalgia for simpler times, the artists put together a stacked lineup of early-2000’s era music.
First up was none other than Cartel. The Georgia-based pop-punkers formed in 2004 but what really put them on the map was being added to Alternative Press’s 2005 list of “Bands You Need to Know”. Fans couldn’t get enough of the band, with hits like “Say Anything (Else)”, “Honestly”, and ending with “Burn This City”.
Cartel has recently released their first single in 9 years, “17”.
Chris Carrabba strolled out onto the stage, all smiles, and guitar in hand. He asked if we minded if he started out as just the two of us. The crowd roared in response as he started playing “The Brilliant Dance”. The full Dashboard Confessional band came out as he finished up the song, and they began taking us on a trip through their twenty-three year discography. The highlight for me, personally, was getting to hear “Remember to Breathe” live, which has always been my favorite. They also played some of their many hits, such as “Don’t Wait”, “Saints and Sailors”, “Again I Go Unnoticed”, “Stolen” and “Hands Down”. And, of course, no set would be complete without “Screaming Infidelities”, during which the crowd sang along at a deafening volume. It was a beautiful set, and truly my favorite of all of the times that I’ve seen DC live. Chris Carrabba proves time and time again that he is still “the best one of the best ones”.
Andrew McMahon took the stage at 9:30pm, much to the audience’s delight. As excited as they were all evening, nothing compared to the cheering when Andrew came onstage. Launching right into “Bruised”, he played through an amazing mix of songs from Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, as well as songs from his former bands, Something Corporate, and Jack’s Mannequin.
SETLIST: Bruised, High Dive, I Woke Up in a Car, The Mixed Tape, Holiday From Real, Island Radio, Me and the Moon, Hurricane, The Resolution, Cecilia and the Satellite, It’s The End of the World as We Know It (R.E.M. cover), Punk Rock Princess, Konstantine, Fire Escape, Stars, Dark Blue, Synthesthesia
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is: Andrew McMahon (lead vocals, piano), Bobby Anderson (guitar), Jay McMillan (drums), Mikey Wagner (bass), and Zac Clark (keys). You can read more about Andrew McMahon in our exclusive interview here.
Check out the remaining dates of the Hello Gone Days tour here:
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ANDREW MCMAHON / DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL / CARTEL
