Perfect Summer Night: Dashboard Confessional Live at The Stone Pony Summer Stage

Dashboard Confessional delivered an unforgettable night of heartfelt performances and fan-favorite hits under the perfect skies of Asbury Park’s Stone Pony Summer Stage.

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There’s nothing better than listening to music at the beach, especially on a night perfect for an outdoor show—no ocean breeze, mild temps, and no need for jackets. That’s why the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park is a great venue to see live music. Another benefit is the city’s early curfew means concerts wrap by 10 or 11 pm, so even on a school or work night, you won’t be home too late.

When I arrived at the venue last week, I was surprised by the smaller crowd, but it was a Tuesday night, and Dashboard Confessional was set to play NYC and Philadelphia later, so most attendees were likely Garden State residents.

Despite the size of the crowd, the energy was high, and fans were ready for a great night of music. I caught the tail end of Boys Like Girls, which brought me right back to the mid-2000s with hits like “Thunder” and “The Great Escape.” Their energetic set had the audience dancing and singing along.

Dashboard Confessional took the stage promptly at 8:35 pm. They opened with the emotionally charged “Vindicated,” which was thrilling to experience from the photo pit.

The crowd may have been smaller than usual, but they were completely captivated by Chris Carrabba’s heartfelt performance. Early in the set, they performed “The Sharp Hint of New Tears” and “Reason to Believe,” a great pair of songs that showcase the emotional range of a breakup, from raw pain to hope and resilience.

Fans were thrilled with the mix of tracks, especially as this was the kickoff for their Fall Tour. The setlist spanned albums like Dusk and Summer, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, The Swiss Army Romance, and All the Truth That I Can Tell.

One highlight was an unreleased track, “Watch the Fire,” performed with Boys Like Girls’ Martin Johnson. Carrabba joked about how fans could pre-save the song (which wasn’t possible back in the LimeWire days). 

Fans were also treated to the live debut of “Southbound and Sinking,” which added a surprise element to the night.

The band played for about 80 minutes, wrapping up around 10 pm due to the state’s music curfew. The set ended with the fan-favorite “Stolen,” a heartfelt song about love and longing. 

After leaving the stage, they quickly returned for a one-song encore, closing the night with the electric “Hands Down,” which left fans buzzing.

Though I wasn’t familiar with every track, I felt completely immersed in the music. Standout songs for me included “The Better of Me,” “Stolen,” and “Screaming Infidelities.”

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, thanks to the music, Carrabba’s connection with the crowd, and the band’s high-energy performance. All of these elements made this show a truly memorable one.

Want to experience a dazzling night of music? Catch Dashboard Confessional on tour now with support from Boys Like Girls and Taylor Acorn. Get more information on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) pages.

More Dashboard Confessional Photos

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Dashboard Confessional Setlist

Vindicated
The Sharp Hint of New Tears
Reason to Believe
The Good Fight
Southbound and Sinking (Live debut)
Saints and Sailors
Burning Heart
Carry This Picture
Watch the Fire (with Martin Johnson) (Unreleased song)
Dusk and Summer
Screaming Infidelities
Again I Go Unnoticed
The Brilliant Dance
Don’t Wait (Extended intro)
Remember to Breathe
Stolen

Encore:
Hands Down

About Dashboard Confessional:

Initially founded as an acoustic solo project by singer-songwriter/guitarist Chris Carrabba, Dashboard Confessional stands tall at the vanguard of an entire musical scene, adored for its groundbreaking sound and respected for its unwavering candor. Dashboard Confessional made an immediate impact with 2000’s The Swiss Army Romance, earning the Florida-based Carrabba applause and a passionate fan following for his intimate and intensely heartfelt songcraft. Carrabba expanded Dashboard Confessional into a full-fledged band with the following year’s RIAA Gold-certified The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most. The album proved a national breakthrough, fueled by seemingly nonstop touring as well as the now-classic hit single, “Screaming Infidelities,” the companion video for which received the influential MTV2 Award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. Dashboard Confessional was suddenly a sensation, with high profile late night TV appearances and a string of increasingly bigger headline tours. 2002’s MTV Unplugged 2.0 furthered the band’s rising popularity, garnering them their first RIAA Platinum certification and first #1 album on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” and “Top Independent Albums” charts. Dashboard Confessional ascended even higher with 2003’s A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. The album – which made a top 3 debut on the overall Billboard 200 – saw Carrabba developing his singular sound with more expansive arrangements that earned praise from such outlets as Rolling Stone, which hailed it as “easily the toughest, most assured music Carrabba’s ever made, summing up the vulnerable charisma that has made him a cult idol for fans who crave the kind of emotional realness that has totally disappeared from the mainstream-rock assembly line.”

With the wind at his back, Carrabba drove Dashboard Confessional through a series of chart-topping and critically acclaimed studio albums, soundtrack contributions, festival appearances, and sold-out headline tours. The band’s legacy was explored on a number of deluxe editions, re-recordings, and career-spanning greatest hits collection, 2020’s The Best Ones of The Best Ones. But after two extraordinary decades, Dashboard Confessional almost came to a screeching halt following Carrabba’s near-fatal motorcycle accident in the terrible summer of 2020, leaving him unsure of his band’s future. Thankfully, Dashboard Confessional’s ninth studio album, 2022’s All The Truth That I Can Tell, proved among their finest yet, both as cathartic achievement of Carrabba’s vision and a vital burst of artistic clarity. The band celebrated with multiple tours (including a hugely successful co-headline runs with Jimmy Eat World, Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, and Counting Crows), global live streaming events, and top-billed performances at such festivals as Las Vegas, NV’s first-ever When We Were Young. The summer of 2024 now sees Carrabba and Dashboard Confessional continuing their unstoppable calling with a fresh round of ceaseless roadwork, with upcoming highlights including the eagerly awaited “Once More with Feeling(s) The Dashboard Confessional Emo Superjam” at Manchester, TN’s Bonnaroo and a number of headline festival performances culminating in a triumphant return to When We Were Young for a full-album performance of 2006’s beloved fourth studio album, Dusk and Summer.

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