The venue’s already dense with heat in the middle of December. Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA. Blue and faded red lights give life to the fog as Dispatch takes the stage. It’s their second night in Boston, with another show on Tuesday. Their tour has almost come to a melancholic end.
The crowd has a collective energy bound by the strum of guitars and the beat of drums onstage. It’s my second time seeing the band live after they put on an acoustic performance following the World Cup at Killington Ski Resort. I’ve been listening for years, familiar with the indie vibe and easygoing tone of their music.
Flannels and beercans adorn the crowd, complete with Charlie, a little girl taking the prize for the youngest fan who was given a banana halfway through the show by Brad Corrigan, one of the original band members. After listening to their songs, and hearing the sincerity in their voices in a live, intimate setting, I understand that they’re not creating music to make money. It’s for them, for people, for the world, for peace. There wasn’t a bad vibe in the room. It was as if the band invited us into their garage for a late night performance, and you could tell that despite the venue and city of Boston steps away, their humbleness was immense.
They paused several times to talk about gun violence, and after one of those moments, they played a song they wrote just a couple weeks ago. It was about young children dying in mass shootings, and silence replaced the cheerful sing-alongs that accompanied every other song. There was an authenticity to this crowd – they listened with sincerity. Not only were they spreading awareness about gun control, but also about mental health. Pete Francis, a bassist, and guitarist of the band suffers from depression and the lead singer, Chad, took a moment to talk about de-stigmatizing mental health, an issue that is often ignored that should be talked about more, followed by “Begin Again” from their new album.
America needs more of Dispatch. Their songs are fresh and tasteful, and you can play them on the beach with family or at a college party. They’re spreading messages that beg to be heard through music that begs to be felt, with lyrics that move beyond cliches.
such sweet things 