Photos & Story by: Kimberly Kanuck
It was a night to remember at Sands Event Center in Bethlehem for fans of early 2000’s alternative rock, emo, and pop punk music. Fans enjoyed all of the hits from not one but two legendary bands that we loved from that decade: Dashboard Confessional and The All- American Rejects. The show really got exciting when The All-American Rejects kicked things off with their platinum 2005 hit “Dirty Little Secret.” They played their hits like “Swing Swing” and ended the show with “Gives You Hell” where they allowed the crowd to sing with them for most of the song. Lead singer and bassist Tyson Ritter talked a lot to the crowd throughout the show and told their fans that he would never forget this show and how they got him through it (as he was feeling ill).
We then switched gears to Dashboard Confessional’s opening of their 16 song set with their biggest hit, “Vindicated.” The crowd was singing, yelling, and thrilled to see lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Carrabba wearing a local Vegan Treats t-shirt! We learned that he actually loves Bethlehem for many reasons, including Martin Guitars. They played other hits like “The Sharp Hint of New Tears,” “The Good Fight,” “Saints and Sinners,” The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most,” “As Lovers Go,” “Screaming Infidelities,” and “Stolen.” They also played some newer material such as “Heart Beats Here,” which he said he was playing on a new Martin guitar. I personally enjoyed their cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” The encore was another fan favorite and hit song, “Hands Down.”
It was a fun night singing along (or screaming) to the hits of the 2000’s with these 2 awesome bands in Bethlehem. If you missed them, they’re headed to NY on Thursday and then at Festival Pier in Philadelphia on 8/9. For more information, please visit www.dashboardconfessional.com. Thank you to Sands Event Center for bringing yet another amazing show to the Lehigh Valley!
Links:
https://www.dashboardconfessional.com/
http://www.allamericanrejects.com/
http://www.sandseventcenter.com/
