An eclectic crowd of trendy teens, college coeds and late twenty-something couples packed the Ogden Theater Thursday night to see a great night of performances from John Ralston, Augustana and Dashboard Confessional.

Opening artist John Ralston kicked off the show with an upbeat set of guitar-driven ballads and dance-worthy numbers. The audience seemed hesitant to get excited at first, but by the third song nearly everyone was swaying or tapping their feet to the beat. Ralston played a variety of songs from his newly released album Sorry Vampire as well as tracks from his previous album Needle Bed.

The audience seemed to like the older material better as the newer tunes sounded almost out of place in the set with their synth pop undertones and lack of guitar. Ralston’s performance was solid, but lacked a genuine sense of passion and enthusiasm. While the audience was politely attentive, one could tell that everyone was thinking about the next act, knowing that it would be better.

Augustana took the stage next, delivering a performance that packed a punch. It was immediately clear that a large portion of the audience had come solely for Augustana. This is no surprise as the band has been getting increased attention after its hit single “Boston” was featured on an array of television shows. Augustana was also VH1’s “Artist You Outta Know” for quite some time last fall. Since then, the band has been tirelessly touring, making two previous headlining stops in Denver in the past year. Thus, one could not help but wonder why Augustana would be opening for Dashboard Confessional instead of doing another headlining tour. Once the band launched into its set though, it was clear that the purpose of this tour was to try out the new material from the upcoming album Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt.

With the first notes of lead singer Dan Layus’ distinctive voice, the audience was completely enthralled. When the third song arrived, Layus gave his sincere apologies for the coincidental bad timing of playing the song “Boston” during the World Series, especially when the Rockies were losing. However, when the chorus rolled around, Layus switched the lyrics to “Denver” and the crowd erupted into a fury of screams, applause and whistles.

Augustana proved to be powerful performers, full of spunk and excitement. Layus’ joked with the audience, invoked more the one sing-along, and played around with bluesy warbles between numbers.

During one number, each member of the band took turns singing in a spectacle reminiscent of a doo-wop group. Overall, the audience loved the harmonies and beats of the new material as well as the passionate performance of the band.

When Chris Carrabba, who performs under the name Dashboard Confessional, finally took the stage, the crowd had grown restless with excitement. Carrabba looked a bit awkward on stage all by himself as this tour was Dashboard’s first solo acoustic tour in years. Launching into the first song, the audience teemed with enthusiastic excitement.

The crowd sang along with every song, new and old, proving how devoted Dashboard fans truly are. Some songs were never even formally released on any albums, yet the crowd knew all of the words anyway. Carrabba appeared to be right at home in the Ogden and chatted nonchalantly between songs with the people in the front row. Telling stories and jokes, Carrabba’s performance rivaled that of MTV Unplugged. The audience hung on his every word. Between songs, elated fans yelled their love for Carrabba who retorted with affectionate “Aww, I love you, too.”

Later in the set, Carrabba was joined by longtime friend and band mate John Lefler on the guitar and piano. Lefler brought a completely new element to the show. The duo crafted brilliant harmonies adding a dynamic new depth to the performance. They were also joined by all of the members of John Ralston’s band and Augustana for an incredible cover of Weezer’s “El Scorcho.”

An hour and a half later, Carrabba expressed his gratitude to fans for being so eager and reluctantly bid them goodnight. Ten minutes later he reappeared for a two-song encore that featured his most poplar hit “Hands Down.” The audience sang along with every word, not wanting to face the show’s eminent end.

The night was a wholly satisfying concert-going experience that left both the audience and Carrabba longing for more.