Counting Crows & Dashboard deliver theatrical, intimate goodness at Moon concert

MOON TWP. ― Adam Duritz strolled on stage 90 minutes early Monday at UPMC Events Center. The Counting Crows frontman wanted to personally introduce opening act Dashboard Confessional.

The two bands would join forces three hours later in a loose and fun encore capping off a fine night of engaging, emotionally rendered rock 'n' roll.

Duritz infused a theatrical quality throughout the Counting Crows' two-hour headlining set for a close-to-sold-out crowd. With sweeping arm gestures, direct eye contact with his audience, and frequent hops onto elevated speakers where he pantomimed actions like walking a tightrope, Duritz acted out scenes from his poetic lyrics.

He got the big hit out of the way early, singing "Mr. Jones" with flair; tweaking the phrasing slightly to freshen that − hard to believe − going-on-30-year-old song.

The dramatic ballad "Colorblind," featured prominently in the film "Cruel Intentions," and accordion-seasoned "Omaha," which called to mind The Band, joined the cavalcade of early set highlights.

"Miami" flat-out rocked, one of the selections where Counting Crows' longtime lead guitarist Daniel Vickrey got to shine.

An acoustic "Blues Run The Game" and harmonica-flavored "Washington Square" were enticing mood setters. The 1995 Grammy-nominated "Round Here" prompted Duritz to step onto a few stage risers, acting out the line where "she walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the land."

The San Francisco band attained a dynamic blue-collar quality on "Bobby and The Rat-Kings," a Reddit and Tinder-referencing song about a rock band's ability to blissfully whisk away for a few precious hours fans from a generation that's prone to buying what the TV sells, "and almost never stop wishing we were somebody else."

The Moon Township audience appreciated the chance to shake and groove to "Rain King," followed by Duritz on keys for the hit "A Long December," with his voice as sharp, clear and emotive as when the show started.

Counting Crows' four-song encore gleamed brightest on the two middle choices − "So Long, So Long" and the chunky-riffed "Hanginaround" − both featuring a return to the stage of opening act Dashboard Confessional.

Earlier in his band's set, Duritz explained how there was a time in his career − when music only seemed to care about irony − where he drew inspiration from Dashboard founder-frontman Chris Carrabba's heartfelt lyrics.

Like Duritz, Carrabba looked and sounded totally invested in the dozen songs his band played, singing with emotion embellished periodically with his supreme and somehow tuneful emo screams. Often rising to the tiptoes of his sockless loafers to elicit extra energy, Carrabba hit an emotional apex on the acoustic "Burning Heart," about a loving relationship deflated by "a million little pinpricks," though there may be a way to save it.

Dashboard Confessional drummer Chris Kamrada and lead guitarist Armon Jay rocked out when required. Though you couldn't go more than a few moments taking your eyes and ears off Carrabba and his clear, soaring singing that lit up the band's best-known singles "Screaming Infidelities" and the traditional closer "Hands Down," introduced as always as the song about the best day of his life.

It was a pretty memorable night in Moon, with the Robert Morris University venue a perfect size for a show that felt big but still intimate.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Counting Crows & Dashboard deliver theatrical, intimate Moon Twp. concert