[ATTENDED: October 8, 2018] Death Cab for Cutie
I can remember listening to a compilation CD [I believe it came with Future Dictionary of America] in my car and “Title and Registration” was on it. I couldn’t stop listening to the song. I had heard of Death Cab for Cutie but didn’t know them. And this song set me on a years-long path of enjoyment.
So I’ve liked the band for some 15 years but I’d never seen them live. I was pretty much okay with that because from videos I’d watched, they didn’t seem like they were very dynamic live.
Then they announced this show at the Tower (which sold out and they announced a second). When WXPN played the extended version of “I Will Possess Your Heart” and S. said how much she liked the intro and that was enough for me to get us tickets for the show.
The seats were great (3rd row mezzanine) and we could fully enjoy the lighting spectacular.
Y
es, lighting spectacular. I never assumed that Death Cab for Cutie would have a big light show. It just doesn’t seem to fit with them. And it wasn’t crazy big or anything but it was pretty dramatic and worked very well with the music. There was a video screen above the band too but it just seemed to be projecting nonsense so–whatever about that. Occasionally there were colors which added to the visuals, but mostly it was half images of static.
DCFC’s latest album Thank You for Today (I enjoyed this welcoming video) had recently come out but I hadn’t had much opportunity to listen to it (except for single “Gold Rush”). They played 7 of 10 songs from it, so there was a lot that was unfamiliar to me.
But here’s the thing about DCFC for better or worse. A lot of their songs sound similar. Not that they are indistinguishable, but that the opening chord patterns and playing style are pretty much the same before they turn into their own animals. So a number of times I thought they were starting one song bu it turned out to be something else.
They interspersed those new songs with songs from nearly their entire discography, which was awesome. After playing two new songs, they played one from 2015’s Kingusti which I realized I hadn’t listened to very much.
But then we got into really familiar territory. They played the wonderful “Long Division” (to be a remain… remain…. remain… remainder) from Plans. And then they played “Title and Registration” and I was instantly swept back to that day driving in the car.
The new song “Gold Rush” is fun to sing along to but they went really far back into their catalog (2001’s The Photo Album) for the delicate “A Movie Script Ending” (I was on the high-way… high-way… high-way).
They followed this with two more songs from Plans. First was the tremendous “Crooked Teeth” (I love that bass line). Then Ben Gibbard moved back to the piano for the lovely ballad “What Sarah Said.” They followed it with another piano song, the new “60 & Punk” which I was sure was an older song–it must have sunk in when I listened to the record. It’s a great melancholy song.
Gibbard played piano, electric guitar and acoustic guitar. And the overall sound of the band was fantastic. I loved that you could very clearly hear Zac Rae on guitar–especially when he played some crunchy chords. Which was often. I was delighted with just how noisy the show was. Not ugly…just not polished and sleek. It was also cool that Dave Depper on keys also played guitar from time to time–there could be three guitars on stage at once.
Then came the moment S. and I were waiting for. That awesome bass line of “I Will Possess Your Heart.” “Not only did they play the extended intro they jammed it for about 10 minutes and it was fantastic.
They followed it with the oldest song of the night, 2000’s “Title Track.” I have always liked this guitar riff and it was great to hear it live. Then back to the new album with “Autumn Love” and then to Kintsugi with the awesome “Black Sun” (I guess I have listened to that album a bit).
Then it was onto Transatlanticism for “Expo 86.” The crowd went nuts when we heard those opening notes (they had recently played all of Transatlanticism the other night in Chicago, but I’m glad they didn’t for us (kind of).
I was intrigued that they kept playing new songs throughout the night. Sometime the end of a set can get hits-heavy, so it was nice to keep everyone on our toes. I was amazed at how much “Northern Lights” and especially “Doors Unlocked and Open” sounded like a Rush song circa Grace Under Pressure–the way the bass and guitar intertwined.
Next up was “Cath…” It was on this song that I was really aware of how great the drums from Jason McGerr sounded. It sounded terrific, but it was nothing compared to the excitement the crowd felt during “Soul Meets Body.” The crowd sang along perfectly to the bah bah bah bah bah part (and pretty much everything else).
A few songs earlier I realized that I didn’t know how long they had been playing and I didn’t know how long the show was going to be. I assumed that DCFC would not play a super long show, and yet they have been around for 20 years, so they could play forever. And as they played “Soul Meets Body” I realized that there were probably a half dozen songs that I loved which they hadn’t played.
Turned out they were ready to end the main set and they returned Transatlanticism (they played 5 of 11 songs) for “The Sound of Settling” (bah bah, bah bah, this is the sound of settling).
After a fairly short encore break, Ben Gibbard came back out with an acoustic guitar. The lighting was great and Ben started singing the opening to “I Will Follow You Into The Dark.” The sound was great and the crowd was initially respectful as Ben started singing. But it was hard to hold back and soon everyone was singing along with him.
It was a beautiful moment and could have easily ended the show. But they were not done by a long shot.
A recent trend, it seems, is to include a new song in the encore. It’s disappointing if you are expecting a favorite hit, but it usually means that there will be a few more songs. So you can sit back and enjoy a song like “Near / Far” and appreciate it and want to listen to it more. Once the other songs are done, of course.
They ended the night with two more songs from Transatlanticism (which was great). The first, “Tiny Vessels,” a sad but lovely song (“she is beautiful, but she don’t mean a thing to me”) that builds to a pretty big rocker in the middle.
Then came the slow buildup of the title song “Transatlanticism.” It starts on piano and effects. Then the beautiful guitar riff–two three note melodies and a big slow chord that propels the song forward. I have always like this song because of that riff, but I never expected what they would do with this song. It takes about three minutes for the drums to begin–a slow steady rhythm which is joined by the bass (Nick Harmer). Then Ben came from behind the piano and picked up his guitar. The band began jamming the middle of the song–repeating that guitar riff and the lyrics “I need you so much closer.” And the song just kept getting bigger and bigger and louder and louder. They must have repeated that section for three or for minutes just getting fuller and fuller until was almost unbearable. It felt like the walls might come down. I still get chills thinking about it.
It was one of the best endings to a show I’ve ever seen.
SETLIST
I Dreamt We Spoke Again ¥
Summer Years ¥
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive ℘
Long Division ⇑
Title and Registration ™
Gold Rush ¥
A Movie Script Ending ∏
Crooked Teeth ¶
What Sarah Said ¶
60 & Punk ¥
I Will Possess Your Heart ⇑
Title Track ϖ
Autumn Love ¥
Black Sun ℘
Expo 86 ™
Northern Lights ¥
Doors Unlocked and Open ⊗
Cath… ⇑
Soul Meets Body ¶
The Sound of Settling ™
Encore:
I Will Follow You Into The Dark ¶
Near / Far ¥
Tiny Vessels ™
Transatlanticism ™
ϖ We Have the Facts And We’re Voting Yes (2000)
∏ The Photo Album (2001)
™ Transatlanticism (2003)
¶ Plans (2005)
⇑ Narrow Stairs (2008)
⊗ Codes and Keys (2011)
℘ Kintsugi (2015)
¥ Thank You for Today (2018)
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This was our third time seeing Death Cab for Cutie. They put on a remarkably good show every time. I was telling S. I feel al little bad for saying that I don’t feel like there’s anything extraordinary about them–nothing that blows me away. However, I like just about everything they do. They fall into a perfect, sweet spot for me. I love Ben Gibbard’s voice. They write excellent melodies. And, as it turns out, their live shows are fantastic.
