A trip to Blossom Music Center always makes me feel old. It lets me reminisce about the glory days of the late Polaris Amphitheater near Columbus; recalling the Ozzfest riot and remembering what it feels like to get hit in the head with a six-foot-long piece of sod.
Blossom Music Center near Cleveland is a great venue, even if the parking can sometimes feel like a rough landscape.
When we arrived on Tuesday, Aug. 12, to catch the Summer Anthem Tour with Goo Goo Dolls and Dashboard Confessional, it wasn’t packed to the rafters, which was nice. We found a decent paved parking lot and headed inside to pick up our tickets.
We made it to our seats right as Dashboard Confessional started their set, and I was excited. I had seen them before, way back in 2001, when they were opening for Weezer and just starting to get some traction.
I’ve always had a soft spot for their music, even counting their MTV Unplugged as among the best of the series—right alongside Clapton, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains. Then and now, it was a great show.
They played 13 songs, with hits and fan favorites sprinkled throughout. “Screaming Infidelities” and “Vindicated” hit me hard, taking me back to a simpler time and place.
There was a bit of a wait before the Goo Goo Dolls took the stage, which gave me time to explore the grounds and appreciate the variety of food and drink options available.
When the headliner took the stage, it was all business. They launched into a set filled with emotionally charged rock and power ballads; performing more than 20 songs, including most of their hits and a few fan favorites.
The theatrics were great—black balloons were released into the crowd during “Black Balloon” and there was a nice light show.
“Miracle Pill” was a song I hadn’t heard before, but it had me making a note to look it up after the show. It has been in rotation ever since.
They also played a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me,” right before closing the show with “Iris.” Holding a pretty girl’s hand as a huge crowd sings a love song is a very nice way to end the night.
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