Watched This Recent Live Performance By Dashboard Confessional (Chris Carrabba) Who Had Fond Memories Of From My Youth
I was in high school when I first got into Dashboard Confessional. They were a mainstay of that phase in my life. And played a prominent place in an emotional time in my youth and my relationship at the time.
I have beautiful memories that relate to those songs. And also some very sad memories.
And Dashboard captured that feeling I had then perfectly.
Anyway, I haven't listened to many of those songs in years. And lost touch with what they were up to after my high school days.
But I ran across this more recent live performance from him where he does two of his biggest songs, Vindicated (his biggest). And Hands Down (one of the main emotional core songs of his and a fan favorite.).
Anyway, I was struck at how emotional I got all these years later at his performance.
It's admittedly rough. I think he's done significant damage to his voice over all those years of performing. And he struggles to fully get it in the way he used to.
But even so, it's still there. While he can't sing it as smoothly as when he was young, it doesn't actually take away from the power of the performance in my opinion.
You can feel those real emotions come through all the same, even if touched with the scars and truth of age.
It almost makes it even more poignant and powerful.
Here he is bringing forth those feelings he probably had when he was 16 or whatever when he wrote it. And now performing it as an aged man it not only has that essence of youth. But the melancholy of time and how we cannot stay as we were. We grow older. We change. Relationships grow and some break.
Not only is there the emotional joy of the imagery of youthful love come to beautiful fruition through the song on a surface level.
But also, the tinged sadness of youth and innocence lost by way of his outward physicality not quite matching the feeling his performance is reaching back through the years to grasp for once again.
You can see it there. But it's a glimpse into the way he felt so long ago. The way we might have felt so long ago.
We outwardly lose the youthful glow of youth. But that feeling remains.
I don't know. I know people were ragging him in the comments for his appearance and faltering voice.
But I was moved all the same. It's a beautiful performance.
And if the measure of artistry and music is how it can convey a feeling and emotion and touch that inside of you.
He's still got it. By the climax where he's belting out the finale.... I remembered....
I remember it all. Age cannot take away those memories.
And his less than prime condition and delivery doesn't take away the emotional triumph of these songs.
Music that touches you has a special power.
Even if colored by the passing of time.
Anyway. My trip down memory lane for the day.
Hope you enjoy it.
