I try my best not to miss Dashboard when they are touring. Especially when Chris does the solo acoustic gigs. Tonight was a solo one and as expected, Chris brought a set list full of fan faves and had a few surprises up his sleeve as well.

Dashboard Confessional
(solo acoustic)
House of Blues San Diego
1/20/12

The Good Fight
The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
Swiss Army Romance (Say Anything “Wow I Can Get Sexual Too” tease)
Where There’s Gold
As Lovers Go
Saints and Sailors
Tall Green Grass (Cory Branan cover)
So Impossible
Cold Comfort
The Sharp Hint of New Tears
Screaming Infidelities
Again I Go Unnoticed
Carry This Picture
The Cape (Guy Clark cover)
Get Me Right
Ghost of a Good Thing
Remember to Breathe
Stolen
Vindicated
Hands Down

Encore:
The Best Deceptions

The first surprise of the night was definitely the Say Anything tease - Chris loves to tease songs in the middle of his own and those choice “Called her on the phone and she touched herself” lyrics were (gasp!) shocking. Most of the set went the way of most D/C shows, Chris banter, crowd sing-a-longs, girls professing their love. I was really happy to get “Ghost of a Good Thing” …

“Love is like a role that we play.”
But, I believe in you so much I could die for the words that you say
But, you’re chasin’ the ghost of a good thing…

So worth getting here early for Fitz and the Tantrums. Set list for posterity.

Breaking the Chains of Love
Winds of Change
Don’t Gotta Work It Out
Wake Up
Picking Up the Pieces
Rich Girls
Steady As Goes (Raconteurs cover)
Dear Mr. President
L.O.V.
News for You
Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)
Moneygrabber

Fun set…crowd loving it. And that cover of “Steady As She Goes” was just awesome.

I didn’t get enough last time. And it was AMAZING. Like it could ever be anything but…..set list via the prince.org forum.

DMSR
Pop Life
Musicology
Prince & the band
So Far, So Pleased (with Gwen Stefani)
The Question Of U intro
The One
Cock-Eyed Woman
I Feel 4 U
Controversy
Love Rollercoaster (intro)
Glamorous Life (with Sheila E)
Nothing Compares 2 U
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Cool with Don’t Stop Til U Get Enough tease
Let’s Work (with Gwen Stefani)
U Got The Look

Encore:
Whole Lotta Love (w/ Nikka Costa)
Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)
Strange Relationship
How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore
If I Was Ur Girlfriend

Encore 2:
Kiss
Purple Rain

Encore 3:
Sexy Dancer with Le Freak
Play that Funky Music
Hollywood (Inglewood) Swinging

Encore 4:
When Doves Cry/Nasty Girl/Party All The Time (Eddie Murphy sample)/Single Ladies (Beyonce sample)/Sign O The Times/Darling Nikki/Hot Thing/Black Sweat

Encore 5:
The Bird
Jungle Love
A Love Bizarre

So this time we were on the floor. Yes, floor seats for $25. We had a rowdy crowd with us and armed with my Prince tambourine, it was all on from the get go. The set list speaks for itself, love how he is changing it up. So my fave moments - Gwen Stefani…hot damn, she was so awesome in her white and black polka dots. The cover of “Whole Lotta Love” with Nikka Costa in the first encore totally blew my mind. Sheila E every time she was on stage. I could go on and on, but really, all I can say is get yourself to one of these shows.

A tip for you wanting to go - the tix have been going on sale on Tuesday mornings. Just logon and see when they are on sale and get them as soon as you can when they are available.

Update: Tix are posted for next week - on sale on Monday at 10 AM!

I can’t imagine how this show could have been better. First night of a small, sold out tour. In a place that actually reminded me of home. And the best Brand New set list I’ve ever had the pleasure of obsessively typing into my phone….

Brand New
4/26/11
Sonar
Baltimore, MD

Sowing Season
Millstone
Vices
Gasoline
Bought A Bride
Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t
I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light
The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
Guernica
Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
Seventy Times 7
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades
Degausser
You Won’t Know
The Archers Bows Have Been Broken
Jesus Christ
Soco Amaretto Lime

How many times have a been to a BN show where those are the opener? A few, I’m sure. And yet that combination still gets the blood going. The crowd was into it from the get go, singing along to every lyric. Of course. When the band started into “Vices”, it felt good to know that the all assault rock would be starting and Jesse was a madman up there. He just was really feeling it and it showed. They powered through the three songs in the set from their latest album Daisy and then they gave us what we all really wanted - a ton of old favorites. I screamed my lungs out for “Tommy Gun” and was a bit surprised to find myself not only tearing up, but actually crying through “Boy Who Blocked”. I don’t know, those lyrics, just kill me. Like every single one.

And if it makes you less sad
We’ll start talking again
And you can tell me how vile
I already know that I am…

And then these…

You are the smell before the rain
You are the blood in my veins


Call me a safe bet
I’m betting I’m not
I’m glad that you can forgive
I’m only hoping as time goes
You can forget

I got my shit together enough to sing extra loud for “Guernica” and then the twosome from Your Favorite Weapon got me back into the rawk. Then it was “Quiet Things” which I had never heard live before. So the show really could have ended right there and I would have been good. But no, not done yet. And after “You Won’t Know”, Jesse deviated from the official set list and gave us “Archers”. Another amazing sing along for that one….which led into a mellower but still powerful “Jesus”. Then Jesse totally surprised us with “SoCo Amaretto Lime” to end it all.

Seriously, a perfect set. I never have to see Brand New again. (Though we all know that I will…)

There really are no words that can accurately describe last night’s show. So for the record, the set list (via prince.org).

When Eye Lay My Hands On U
Crimson & Clover
Take Me With U
Guitar
Anotherloverholenyohead / Rock Lobster
Shhh
Mountains
Everyday People
The Glamorous Life
Nothing Compares 2 U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Cool/Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
Let’s Work
U Got The Look
Let’s Go Crazy
Delirious
Little Red Corvette

Purple Rain

When Doves Cry / Hot Thing / Nasty Girl / Black Sweat / Sign of The Times / The Most Beautiful Girl In The World / Darling Nikki / Forever In My Life / I Would Die 4 U

Kiss

Controversy

Set list :)

Don’t Gotta Work It Out
Winds of Change
Breaking the Chains of Love
Wake Up
Picking Up The Pieces
Rich Girls
Dear Mr. President
L.O.V.
Tighter
(New song)
News for You
Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)

Encore:
We Don’t Need No Love Songs
Saturday’s Child (Walker Brothers cover)
Moneygrabber