February 22nd, HP Pavilion

Dashboard is down there. I promise.

Ready to rock?

After the concert in Portland, I decided that I needed more Dashboard Confessional and finally talked Krystal into going with me to see them open for Bon Jovi in San Jose.

I was kind of surprised when I heard that Dashboard was touring with Bon Jovi. I wouldn't say their music isn't at all similar. The crowd was definitely there to see Bon Jovi. The people watching was great. Quite a few characters there that looked like they just stepped out of 1985. Leather everywhere, oh my goodness.

Dashboard's set was great. Heavy with songs from their most recent album Alter the Ending and their biggest hits "Vindicated," "Hands Down," and "Don't Wait." Not an acoustic guitar in sight as they amped things up for the rock fans.

One of my favorite moments was when Chris shouted, "Pick it up," to drummer Mike who was playing "Don't Wait" at the wrong tempo. There are two versions of the song and the up tempo one is more widely known because it's in the music video and such. I guess Mike wanted to play it like it was written. It was cool to hear the band adjust so effortlessly.

The Dashboard Fans were few and far between. I could hear a few of them yelling their support and Krystal and I added ours, but it was a far different experience from the typical DC show where everyone sings along. I definitely prefer small venues for my favorite bands where you can feel a connection with the performers and can actually see their faces.

Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi sounded great. We didn't stay for the whole show because it was a school night and, believe it or not, Krystal was falling asleep! The crowd and the band had tons of energy. The staging was pretty cool too with huge video screens that split apart and moved around showing graphics and lyrics throughout the songs along with views of the band. I several songs that I knew including "Shot Through the Heart" and "It's My Life," but I realized that I am mostly unfamiliar with Bon Jovi's music.

Bon Jovi

Overall, I enjoyed the experience but I would much rather see DC as the headliner in a more intimate venue.