By Adam Goetz
A Dashboard Confessional unplugged album may be redundant, but this album is more about the atmosphere than the music itself.
MTV’s Times Square studio provided the intimate setting for this live recording which comes with both a CD and a DVD. The performance really showcases the intense connection that Chris Carrabba creates with his audience through his honest lyrics and sincere delivery. Hearing the crowd chime in for some of the most expressive songs gave it a momentous impression and only added to the experience.
Dashboard Confessional started out as nothing more than Chris with his acoustic guitar and it has since swelled to a full four-piece accompaniment. The 15 tracks on the disk cover the band’s progression over their two albums and three EPs with some welcomed variations. Although the recording quality is rough at times, the album still manages to capture the essence of the music and the raw emotion. (Damn it. I almost made it through my review without using the “E” word.)
Hopefully more bands will start to package all of their cliched money grabbing live albums with DVDs, just so I can justify buying music that I already own.