Paradise Rock Club // Boston, MA // December 11
Cory Branan was lucky enough to be a part of Chris Carrabba’s Swiss Army Romance 10th Anniversary tour. The tour marked ten years since Chris Carrabba decided to leave his band Further Seems Forever and perform under the moniker Dashboard Confessional. The tour was also very lucky to have Cory Branan as an opening act. The extremely charismatic Mississippi-born Branan played a short and sweet set consisting of six songs, most of which will be on his upcoming album due out later this year.
Branan was well aware that he was playing to a crowd of fans that were likely accustomed to a different style of music than his own. Branan’s style is similar yet contrasting to Carrabba’s; his voice is gruff, and his stories come from a different perspective. The fact that he comes across as honest and real allowed him to fit in easily with Carrabba’s fan base. It didn’t hurt that he also entertained as if headlining the show. “Is my hair still unacceptable?” he joked after playing a harder tune that had both him and the audience rocking out. By the end of the short set he felt like an old friend. Being lyrically and story oriented, with Springsteen-influenced balladry (properly showcased on “Survivor Blues”), Cory Branan was a great fit with the Dashboard fans eagerly awaiting Chris Carrabba to take the stage. Branan left a memorable mark on a memorable tour and will be a name to look out for in 2011 and beyond.