Under the bright, hot Arizona sun at Tempe Beach Park, Dashboard Confessional reminded the crowd why their raw, confessional emo sound remains so powerful in today’s music scene. With Chris Carrabba’s unmistakable voice and acoustic-driven intensity at the heart of it all, the band’s 5:30 p.m. set on the Right Field Stage turned a festival afternoon into a shared emotional release, full of sing-alongs and quiet reflections that felt both timeless and deeply personal to the rather large audience.
Formed in 1999 in Boca Raton, Florida, Dashboard Confessional has been active for more than 25 years, with a hiatus from 2011 to 2015. Fronted by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba, the band broke through with early releases like The Swiss Army Romance (2000) and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001). Signature songs such as “Screaming Infidelities,” “Hands Down,” “Vindicated” (from the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack), and “Stolen” became defining emo anthems. The group earned an MTV Video Music Award for the “Screaming Infidelities” video in 2002 and has performed at major festivals over the years. Fans may not yet know about a substantial recent lineup change: longtime drummer Chris Kamrada stepped away from the band on February 16, 2026, after nearly a decade, though the group continues touring with its core members intact.
Band Members
- Chris Carrabba – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, keyboards
- Scott Schoenbeck – bass, piano, keyboards
- Armon Jay – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Kenny Bridges – guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals, percussion
- Abigail Kelly – backing vocals
Verified setlist from Innings Festival 2026:
- The Best Deceptions
- The Sharp Hint of New Tears
- The Good Fight
- Southbound and Sinking
- Saints and Sailors
- State of American Heartache
- Stolen
- Turpentine Chaser
- Again I Go Unnoticed
There’s a special kind of comfort in hearing Dashboard Confessional live—the way the songs still land with the same honest weight they carried two decades ago. Their Innings Festival performance captured that perfectly, offering a gentle space for nostalgia and connection without any forced spectacle. If the band’s path crosses your city on their upcoming dates, it’s the sort of set that leaves you quietly grateful for music that still knows how to speak straight to the heart.
