Celebrating Summer With Counting Crows and Dashboard Confessional In Charlotte

Banshee Season Tours Stops at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre

One of the hottest tours of the summer is pairing together two of the coolest alternative-rock bands around together for a summer run of fantastic music and glorious celebrations. The Banshee Season Tour featuring Counting Crows and Dashboard Confessional is a must-see show for the outdoor concert season and fans couldn’t be more excited about it. Lucky for us, the tour made a stop right here in the Queen City at Skyla Credit Union Ampitheatre for a show celebrating music as well as something special.

For the Charlotte show, there was not an opening band so we were treated to two fantastic sets by both bands. Getting things started, Counting Crows’ frontman Adam Duritz came out onto the stage amid a bevy of cheers from the audience and random shouts of “Adam!” to introduce not only one of his favorite bands but also his great friends, Dashboard Confessional. The band hit the stage running, literally as frontman, Chris Carrabba, jogged out to his spot at center stage.

“Vindicated

I am selfish, I am wrong

I am right, I swear I’m right

Swear I knew it all along

And I am flawed

But I am cleaning up so well

I am seeing in me now

The things you swore you saw yourself…”

Kicking off their set with “Don’t Wait,” from their 2006 album Dusk and Summer, it was clear early on that the band was in top form. Lead guitarist Arman Jay was on fire, adding just the needed jolt of electricity to the live experience while drummer Chris Kamrada was a master behind the kit, giving himself quite the workout behind the kit. The fans were soaking up all that positive energy that was just radiating from the stage from Chris Carrabba. Not only were his vocals outstanding, soaring across the open evening air, but he is also a true showman, holding his guitar like a rifle and posing for the fans down in front.

Dashboard Confessional really comes across as not just a band, but a real music family and there’s just no beating the joyful feelings that come from that experience. The band was feeling it, the fans were feeling it, as we came together to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. Chris took a few moments to address the crowd, expressing how lucky he felt to be out on stage, doing what he loved, and feeling extra lucky to have his family out with him. It was a thoroughly enjoyable set that nobody wanted to end, especially one Chris Carrabba super fan that was sitting in the row of seats behind me. I lost track of how many times she screamed out “I love you Chris!,” but it was a lot and although we all may not have been screaming it with her, we were definitely feeling that same level of emotion. By the end of the set, we were all singing out loud and feeling “Vindicated.” What a way to get started! But, the show wasn’t over yet. There was still plenty more to come.

“‘Round here, we’re carving out our names

‘Round here, we all look the same

‘Round here, we talk just like lions

But we sacrifice like lambs

‘Round here, she’s slipping through my hands…”

Next up was the one and only Counting Crows. The band took the stage and quickly got started with “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby,” a crowd favorite and we were off. The stage set up was simple with just the band and their instruments, but that’s plenty to fill up the area, but we did have a beautiful light show that would change throughout the night adding visual beauty to the concert experience. The sound quality of Counting Crows’ set was superb as we could clearly hear each and every nuance of the music without anyone member being overpowering at all. It was a perfect blend of sounds and I felt like I could settle in for the show and just let the music wash over me.

Adam’s vocals sounded great even though he told us that he would be a lot less active on the stage as he had a pt from the local college out before the show to help him work out the kinks. You couldn’t tell from his performance though, as he worked the crowd from one side of the stage to the other, gesturing and pointing and getting the fans involved all night long. The entire band sounded amazing from the guitar work of Dan Vickrey to the mandolin of David Immergluck, everyone was firing on all cylinders.

The set encompassed all the usual Counting Crows hits including their spectacular cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi.” We also had a bit of a surprise as it was Adam’s birthday and not only did the crowd sing “Happy Birthday To You” but Chris Carrabba’s kids came out onto the stage with a birthday cake for Adam. It was a fun moment for all and I hope a birthday that Adam will never forget. One of my favorite moments of the night came a bit later. Although it was early August, we were all ready for “A Long December” and the band delivered a gorgeous live version that simply gave me chills.

We sang. We danced. We may have even shed a tear or two. This show gave us all the joy of live music with all the range of emotions that one could experience as both bands hit us right in the hearts. This is a summer show that we will be remembering for a very long time.

The Banshee Season Tour is continuing through the end of September, so be sure to snag some tickets and catch this amazing lineup when it rolls through your town.

See the Full Gallery of the Evening Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.