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Dashboard Confessional, MXPX, Brand New, and Remedy Session at the Norva! August 31st, 2003 we made tracks for Norfolk to see the show at the Norva. When we got there we went into the balcony first and we were standing behind a little roped-off area where VIP's could sit and watch the show. There was a guy sitting there who looked so much like Chris Carrabba(Dashboard Confessional) that we figured he almost had to be his little brother. We both thought it was him at first, but after a closer look confirmed it wasn't. I did however see John Lefler(guitarist/keyboardist for Dashboard)walking around with some girl. We didn't talk to either of them cause that would just be weird. |
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on to the music...
The first band to play was Remedy Session, and we had never heard of them before. While their music wasn't bad, they were pretty boring to watch so we went to check out the merchandise tables and see if we could find a better vantage point. We didn't have much cash and they didn't take cards so we couldn't buy much, and as it turned out there were no better places to stand. Lauren couldn't really see from anywhere, and even I had to stand on my tiptoes to catch a glance most of the time. We ended up standing in the back by the sound boards, which turned out to be a little better. I could see pretty well, and Lauren could see most of the time (except for the fact that she had left her glasses in the car).
Next on the roster was MXPX. There were pretty stinking good. We only knew a few of the songs, but they put on a good show. Most of what they played was from their new album (Before Everything & After) which comes out Sept. 16.(Including that song they play on the Pepsi commercial..."am I the one who's going crazy? I'm so tired of masquerading..."). They played one song in acoustic and electric versions, which was surprising yet well done. They seemed to have trouble deciding whether they were a 3 piece or a 4 piece though, as there was a second guitarist on some songs who just came out of nowhere. Nobody else in the band said anything about him or even looked at him(pretty weird). They finished off the set with "Chick Magnet" and "Punk Rock Show". Both crowd pleasers and probably two of their best songs. (side note: I was kind of surprised when I first saw that Dashboard and MXPX were on the same ticket, but during Dashboard's set Chris Carrabba said he had been wanting to tour with MXPX for like 10 years so...) 
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About the time we got to a better spot, Remedy Session was finishing up their little 10 minute set. The next band up was Brand New. While we had heard of them, we didn't know any of their music. They were pretty good. They put on a good show. The guitarist at one point threw his guitar about 10 feet in the air and caught it (without missing a beat). They finished the set up with a Taking Back Sunday cover (a song called, There's No "I" In Team). All in all pretty good.
Finally it was time for the main attraction! Make no mistake, everyone was into the other bands, and they played great, but when Dashboard Confessional hit the stage you could tell the real reason everyone was there. They played an awesome set, comprising of old and new stuff, and everything sounded great. Almost everyone in the crowd sang along the whole time, even to the songs off of the new album which hadn't even been out for three weeks yet. To top it all off they had a sweet light show going along with the music. One curious thing was Chris's hair. Normally his hair is plastered into that little "wave", which is pretty normal looking(except for the noticeably large amount of product in it). But on this night he had taken it and spiked up the middle into a little pseudo-mohawk. It was kind of weird and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Other than that, a pretty flawless show. Even Lauren(who has been kind-of sick of Dashboard ever since the radio/MTV2 started overplaying "Screaming Infidelities") thought it was really good, and she has been humming "Hands Down" recently. (we're taking her back :) ) All in all a great night, you should have been there!
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