V Festival (Staffs) 2004
Saturday 21st to Sunday 22nd August 2004Weston Park, Staffordshire, TF11 8LE, England MAP
w/e with camping £98.50 & w/e no camping £82.50 (both sold out); each day £46.50
As Chris Carrabba (vocals) walks on stage to one of the days smaller crowds out comes a loud of whiny, self-indulgent tripe that is best suited to your bedroom on a lone winters night certainly not what you fancy hearing in the middle of an, otherwise, uplifting festival.
As the second song starts, the rest of the band walk out to complete the tear-jerking line-up that makes up Dashboard Confessional. Perhaps, after all, their roadie was in fact a large cuddly teddy bear and I should not have been so scared that I would get pummelled in to the ground.
As a group clap starts in the middle of the set I am slightly concerned that random strangers will be asking me for a shoulder to cry on and a cuddle. As such I retreat to a safe distance and watch the band from afar for the rest of their set.
Its not all as bad as I make out Dashboard Confessional have a great appeal to their fans. If these songs had a deep connection with you you couldnt fault the performance and, quite rightly, would have all the emotions invoked that were intended. The problem comes for those that are not fans this is not really the correct forum for their material.
Progressing through a set including their recent Spiderman 2 hit single, the band end their set with a song about the best day [the lead singers] ever had in [his] whole life although even now Im not feeling uplifted I need a hug.
Great if youve got a collection of their music but otherwise it would be wise to steer clear and save youre the box of Kleenex for other uses.
review by: Guy Powell