All I really wanted to see at this show was NO MOTIV. Okay, well that’s not entirely true, because ALKALINE TRIO and DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL are pretty awesome live, but I’ve seen them before, and NO MOTIV is a band dear to my heart. They were the first band interviewed in these very pages, more than two years ago, and their music strikes me like no other. So the very fact that I missed seeing NO MOTIV due to some guest list complications made the evening rather downtrodden. Fortunately, I know they will be on the road for quite some time, and I have faith I’ll catch them at the next available opportunity.

Thanks to some quick thinking by the kind people at Vagrant and this tour’s manager, I was able to get into the sold-out venue just before HOT ROD CIRCUIT hit the stage. I had happen to spend the previous hour curbside with my brother hoping for some stroke of luck. On the other hand, we did get to see this really sketchy guy parallel park a $45,000 Lexus over and over again (at least eight times) in front of the stoop we will sitting on, apparently for no reason. This was my first time going to Wetlands, and I was impressed with the cozy, intimate nature of the venue, however, it was hot as balls in the club. Maybe a little hotter. I’ve seen HOT ROD CIRCUIT a few times before, all at St. Andrew’s Church, in College Park, Maryland, so seeing them in a tiny club setting was a nice change, and I think it worked a lot better for the band since they sounded very tight and heavier than I can remember. I don’t know any song titles, so I can’t tell ya what they played, but their intricate, quirky guitar work went over well with the crowd, as did their catchy (yet all too similar sounding) pop rock base. The band played one new track off of their upcoming Vagrant debut, and it seemed a bit slower and darker as compared to the previous stuff, something I’d definitely be more into checking out.

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL have no doubt become a phenomenon that continues to inch closer to mainstream circles. Heck, with a club of nearly 300 people singing along to virtually ever word that came out of Chris Carabba’s mouth, it makes you scratch your head and wonder how the heck he got so popular so fast. The simplicity and utter realism that surround DASHBOARD make it incredibly hard for one to deny its power and persuasion over the ear. Chris draws you in to sing with him – when the crowd sings louder, Chris sings with greater emotion – it’s so strong sounding it’s scary. Most of the tunes hit were from their new one, “”The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most,”" including the title track as well as, “”The Brillant Dance,”" “”Screaming Infidelities”" (which was the set standout by far), “”The Best Deceptions,”" “”This Ruined Puzzle,”" “”Saints and Sailors,”" “”Again I go Unnotices,”" and the drearily bitter, yet so enticing “”This Bitter Pill.”" Chris extended his set by playing a few from his first full length, “”Swiss Army Romance,”" and included a new one that should be out on an EP from Eulogy Records sometime this fall. This being my fourth time seeing DASHBOARD, I’m still shocked by how well their music meshes in with the rest of the pop-emo-punk world, and I’m incredibly pleased that it’s been so well received.

By this time, I was in much better spirits, and the anticipation of seeing the almighty ALKALINE TRIO play their new material had me totally stoked. “”From Here ‘Til Infirmary,”" has been receiving the royal treatment on my stereo, and I have no plans to move it out of rotation. I saw A3 for the first time last fall with FACE TO FACE and although they rocked hard, playing much of “”Goddammit,”" I had a feeling that the new material in such a tiny setting with set the place off. With the first pit of the evening, ALKALINE TRIO didn’t have to do much to ignite the salivating crowd. Starting off with a tune from the stellar album, “”Maybe I’ll Catch Fire,”" and then carrying to such new material as “”Private Eye,”" (which sounded huge!), “”Stupid Boy,”" “”Armageddon,”" (another song that tore the roof off), and “”Trucks and Trains.”" I’m a bit rusty of my A3 knowledge of older tunes, but “”I Lied My Face Off,”" was played as well as “”Cringe,”" and well, a whole bunch of others. By this point, I was exhausted, a combination of working a 9 hour day, and it being about oh, 102 degrees in the club, so after every song I’d debate whether I was content enough to leave, and after about 12 songs of such deduction, I reached a nice sense of fulfillment. In what started out as a pretty shaky evening, ALKALINE TRIO came to the rescue – thanks guys!

(Above picture is ALKALINE TRIO, courtesy of Vagrant Records).