Last Friday night kicked off the Taste of Chaos tour for The Early November, Saosin, Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional.  It was the perfect night for some outdoor music, and the four bands did not disappoint!

The Early November was first to hit the stage.  While being the first of four bands can be a challenging task, The Early November rose to the occasion and played a great set.  They kept fans engaged and quickly grabbed the attention of the people flooding in.  Leader singer, Arthur Enders, commented that when he was asked during interviews over the years about his dream lineup, the Taste of Chaos lineup was almost exactly it.  Fans seemed to agree.

Saosin, of Newport Beach, was next on the bill.  I think Saosin wins the award for most intense set of the evening.  Their high energy and stage presence had me entranced like a moth to a bright light.

I caught up with Denise, a longtime fan of Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional, to get her take on the rest of the night.  Denise had seen Taking Back Sunday once before about 12 years ago at Warped Tour.  Although fans were dancing and singing along to most of the songs, she felt that this particular crowd was tamer in comparison to the crowd at Warped Tour.  The band played a lot of newer songs, which left some fans itching for older material, but all of the songs sounded great live.  Before playing some newly recorded material, lead singer Adam Lazzara stated, “In my personal, humble opinion, it’s fucking awesome!”  I couldn’t agree more!  Lazzara kept fans’ attention with his unique body language and funny anecdotes.  He even added a little personal touch to the show by telling fans that his parents met in Chicago.  The band was appreciative of the fans who have stayed with them over the years and chose to quote Jay Z by saying, “You could have been anywhere in the world, but you’re here with us…so thank you.”

Dashboard Confessional was the last band of the night, and their set was heavily focused on their earlier material, which a lot of fans enjoyed.  According to Denise, a majority of the songs came from the So Impossible EP, The Swiss Army Romance, and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, with only four or five songs total coming from their later four albums.  Focusing on older material had fans swept up in a whirlwind of nostalgia and participating throughout the entire set.  Hardcore Dashboard fans lapped up the acoustic songs, and solos by singer Chris Carrabba were a great way to break up the set.  The very few new songs that were performed sounded fantastic and had fans wanting more.  Denise commented that apart from the new projection screen behind the band, it felt just like an old Dashboard concert.  She explained further that, “it’s kind of cool, because people who have seen them before know the drill and love the comfort of predictable hits and sentimental intros to their songs.”  Dashboard had the crowd in the palm of their hands.  The night was just right–great music, great atmosphere, and a trip down memory lane.

Click the following for more photos:  Saosin  /  Taking Back Sunday  /  Dashboard Confessional