I’ve been a fan of Dogpark for over a year. I found frontman Eamon Moore when he rose to fame for his cover of Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” and often catches comparisons as a reincarnation of Buckley. One day, he posted about his band Dogpark, and I just couldn’t get enough to the point where I just had to talk about it with my friend. Saying we were obsessed was an understatement.

On August 29, Dogpark stopped at Space Ballroom in Hamden, Connecticut, for their second stop on The Corporate Pudding Tour. This concert was very meaningful to Moore, whose hometown is in this very state, in Avon.

We tried to get tickets to see them play in Brooklyn in December of 2024, but it was finals week. Then I got tickets to see them play at Governors Ball in NYC, but due to complications, I had to sell my ticket. Finally, my friend told me that we were going to cover their concert in Hamden, and I was ecstatic.

My friends and I pulled up to Space Ballroom, and immediately I saw rhythm guitarist, Billy Apostolou, and I said aloud, “Omg, that’s Dogpark!” He shook his head and said, “No, it’s not.” I was star-struck.

Opening for them were three long, blond, curly-haired brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts, who went by the name of Morrissey Blvd. They had this unique soulful funk and rock ‘n’ roll vibe to their music. Their stage presence was very energetic and interactive.

They played songs such as “The Woo Hoo Song” and “Black Tea.” The whole crowd was dancing, wanting more after each song they played. To be honest, it came to a point where I didn’t care how long I had to wait for Dogpark to come out; these guys were just amazing.

My favorite unreleased song was “Red Bear.” So far, they only have three songs on streaming, but I just know they are going to blow up one day because they truly are a one-of-a-kind family. I also got to meet the bassist brother, Henri, after the show, and he was super nice.

At 9 p.m., Dogpark came on stage, and I totally had a fan girl moment and tried to catch my breath from the sight of Moore. From seeing them on a tiny screen in my hand to being four feet away from the stage was such a surreal moment. 

They opened with “Dive Bar Named Nirvana.” This song is very bassy and is their third most-streamed song. It was a good lead into the rest of the setlist, allowing new listeners to understand the tempo and energy that the band likes to put out. 

Following that was “Washington Square Park” from their EP, “Breaking in Brooklyn.” Then Moore did what he does best, as a premier cover artist, and sang “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder. This got the crowd into the groove, and everyone was dancing. The new bass player carried this song. Every note was on beat and so clean.

Towards the middle of their setlist, they played not one, not two, not three, but FOUR unreleased songs as well as other released songs. I only got the names of two, which were “Dandelion” and “September,” which will be released in two weeks.

These songs all showed promise and had a nice rock and blues feel to them. My favorite one, which I did not get the name of, was so bad ass. It went something like, “a million-one, a million-two, doesn’t matter if the money isn’t coming to you.”

Dogpark truly had its fans on a leash, no pun intended. They saved their best songs for last, such as “Caviar,” “Hollywood,” “Breaking in Brooklyn,” and “Now It’s Over.” Eamon’s voice cast a wicked spell when he sang “Caviar.”

Everyone was dancing like there was no tomorrow. This song was very rock ‘n’ roll heavy compared to their other hits. The couple in front of me almost toppled over from dancing so hard that I had to try not to trip over them.

I screamed my lungs out when my favorite song, “Breaking in Brooklyn,” was played. In that moment, I felt my dreams become a reality. After what felt like millennia of hearing this song, I got to hear it in real life, right in front of me.

The band closed out with their number one hit song, “Now It’s Over.” Moore shouted out drummer Chris Conte, lead guitarist Declan Harris, and the rest of the band.

They walked off stage, and the crowd wanted more. It was, in fact, not over. They came out and played “Last Nite,” by the Strokes. One of my favorite songs of all time played by one of my favorite bands of all time. The audience went wild. Everyone cheered and danced.

They exited the stage. The lights came on. Now it was over.