Screaming confessions into a half-full theatre

This review of Dashboard Confessional warrants a confession: I have never reviewed emo rock or had it identified as a band’s rock music genre.

That being said, Sunday’s long, long concert by the Tennessee-based band and two guests at Kelowna Community Theatre was unique, not so much for its music, but the way it evolved.

First, a little history. Emo or emocore is the short form for emotional hardcore punk which emerged from the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement in Washington, D.C.

Screamo, a more aggressive style of emo using screamed vocals, emerged in the mid-1990s.

Singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba, born in Mexico, used the name Dashboard Confessional in Boca Raton, Fla., for a solo side project, the 2000 LP The Swiss Army Romance while in the band Further Seems Forever, and he became one of the first emo bands to sign with a major record label as the genre entered mainstream culture.

Emo popularity waned after 2010, but may be making an underground resurgence with the release of Dashboard Confessional’s album Crooked Shadows earlier in February.

Judging by Sunday’s concert — a mix of old and new tunes —Carrabba’s musical style hasn’t changed much from its emphasis on emotional and personal expression, often through confessional lyrics, hence the band’s name. This is punk that wears its heart on its sleeve, mixing tenderness with what has been described as a sonic attack.

Carrabba on rhythm guitar, with lead guitarist Armon Jay, bassist Scott Schoenbeck and drummer Chris Kamrada, often led off a song by crooning before launching into what can only be described as melodic screaming into his microphone.

What made this concert unique was Carrabba’s desire to make it a more intimate experience for the 400-plus fans who half-filled the theatre.

After the band’s fourth number, Carrabba invited dozens of fans standing on the edge of the stage to climb onto the stage and sit down in front of him from one side of the stage to the other. Those still seated were invited to stand and come right up to the stage for the balance of the 90-minute show.

These must have been ardent fans since they sang along for many of the 18 song on the set list and one-song encore which went well after 11 p.m.

Carrabba didn’t disappoint those who came for the hits, leading off with Don’t Wait, the first single from the 2006 album Dusk and Summer. There was also a declaration of love in Beyond, heartbreak in About Us and hook-laden, singalong We Fight.

He also went back to Screaming Infidelities (its music video won the 2002 MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards), the lead single (and same name) from the 2001 The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, and he ended with Vindicated (recorded for Spider-Man 2).

Asked about his favourite cover song, part of ongoing exchanges with those seated in front of him, Carrabba threw in Just Like Heaven by The Cure (1987, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me).

The music from opening act Cara Bateman of Victoria s was a sharp contrast. She received an enthusiastic response when she stepped on stage for six solo songs, but her high-pitched voice was accompanied by an electric rhythm guitar that started sounding much the same as her 30-minute set went on.

The Elwins were a high-energy Canadian indie rock band from Keswick, Ont. Guitarist/keyboardist Feurd and bassist Frankie Figliomeni were jumping and dancing all over the stage. Feurd and singer/guitarist Matthew Sweeney took turns with Dashboard Confessional-style screaming while Travis Stokl bashed his drum set. That appropriately set the stage for the main act.