Unlike most singers, Chris Carrabba has a lot of voice left at the end of the show to really belt out the encores. That's because the faithful followers of Dashboard Confessional come to the concert equipped with every word and ready to sing.

Once again, they made for a wonderful (mostly girls) chorus Saturday night at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre.

Mind you, it's not like the old days of Dashboard, when it was an acoustic campfire sing-along. Dashboard has evolved into a sturdy rock band with a sonic range approaching that of U2, which the band toured with last year.

Playing in front of a stunning backdrop that looked like the set from "Rent," Dashboard struck with two or three guitars, rhythm section and extra textures from violinist Susan Sherouse.

But the focus is still Carrabba's boyish charm and a passion that rushes like the rivers and trains he was playing beside. He's been bothered recently by a cold or bug that affected his voice, but there was little sign of that at the Chevy, as Carrabba went after all the high notes and held on strong.

The set did get off to a rocky start with the small, tattooed singer interrupting the second song, "Rooftops and Invitations," to verbally spar with a fan who apparently was "pushing little girls around."

Everyone was back on track by the next song, appropriately titled "The Good Fight," and one of the crowd's favorite sing-alongs. The current tour celebrates the new album, "Dusk and Summer," a more ambitious rock effort, and dramatic emo outpourings like "Don't Wait" and "The Secret's in the Telling" could have rocked a stadium.

Carrabba mixed it up, breaking down the band into various parts, going it alone, voice quivering, on "The Swiss Army Romance" and with guitarist John Lefler on the gentle "Dusk and Summer." Together, Dashboard delivered gorgeous harmonies, helped out by special guest John Ralston, a promising young singer-songwriter who got to step to the forefront for his own song, "Gone, Gone, Gone." Max Bemis, singer for opening band Say Anything, returned to the stage to take a verse on "Remember to Breathe," a song that rose to epic proportions.

Carrabba has been on a gradual mission to take Dashboard Confessional to another level, and with this album and tour, it seems to be arriving. That could be good news for an industry desperately in need of young headliners.

The show opened with an engaging set of indie pop from Australian singer-songwriter Ben Lee, followed by Say Anything, a small guitar army that teetered on the raw edge of emo. Bemis has a great stage energy and a dark and bizarro lyrical touch but falls a little short on hooks. That wasn't a problem, though, on the set-closing "Alive With the Glory of Love," a rousing story of romance and survival during the Holocaust.