I go into each concert I attend with a different set of expectations. Some artists I know to expect the unexpected, from what they'll play to how long they'll jam on or completely change their songs. For example, I would go into a Prince or My Morning Jacket show not knowing what to expect and drooling over the possibilities. Others, I know to expect a fairly rigid setlist with faithful recreations of their studio work.
That brings us to Death Cab For Cutie. This was my second time seeing the Bellingham, Washington indie-stars gone major label (and no, they're not frigging sellouts), with the first coming back in 2008 at this same venue behind the "Narrow Stairs" album. The thing with a Death Cab show is you get a bit of a combination of the expectations I mentioned above. On the one hand, you know they will play certain favorites at every show, and you want to hear the likes of "Soul Meets Body", "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" and "Transatlanticism". You also know they're not going to stretch out very much from their studio work. You don't go to a Death Cab show expecting an epic 13 minute jam on "Cath...". But they have a big enough catalog, especially when promoting a new album, to keep you guessing night to night what surprises or curveballs might make it into the set, and they never fail to put on a tight, entertaining show.
Death Cab's set on this night was a nice mix of older material, even going back to their earliest works, most of the key tracks from "Transatlanticism", "Plans" and "Narrow Stairs", and a generous portion of their fine 2011 release "Codes And Keys". The opening act on this night was Scotland's Frightened Rabbit, who I have to admit we only caught the last few songs of so I can't even begin to give a fair review, although many in the crowd loved them.
Death Cab's set opened with "Bend To Squares", the first song on their 1998 debut album "Something About Airplanes". The opening of the set was heavy on older material as they did not touch on their new album until six songs in. They jumped all over their early catalog after "Bend To Squares", heading into "The New Year" from 2003's "Transatlanticism", "We Laugh Indoors" from 2001's "The Photo Album", "Crooked Teeth" from 2005's breakthrough "Plans" and "Photobooth" from 2000's "The Forbidden Love EP".
The first "Codes And Keys" track of the night was "Doors Unlocked And Open". I definitely noticed the new songs went over well with the crowd. I sensed at the 2008 show that if they weren't playing something from "Plans", many in the crowd were lost, but I did not get that vibe at this show. Much to my delight, two of my favorites from "Narrow Stairs" followed as they played "Long Division" and the haunting "Grapevine Fires" back to back. The title track from "Codes And Keys" was then the second new song of the night.
One of my all-time favorite Death Cab songs, "Summer Skin" was next, but it got off to a false start as drummer Jason McGerr's snare drum was clearly broken, the song missing its key snare rolls. Ben Gibbard stopped the song asking "I believe we have a broken snare drum, is that true? I believe it to be true. Is Anybody a physics major? Do you have any idea what a bitch a drum is?" It was a funny moment, they got the drum repaired and started up this gorgeous track once again with no problems this time. An intense version of "I Will Possess Your Heart" then followed.
Chris Walla, Nick Harmer and McGerr then left the stage for the customary Gibbard solo performance of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". The band then returned for two tracks off the new album, first single "You Are A Tourist" and the should-be single "Underneath The Sycamore". Gibbard then introduced "Meet me On The Equinox", their contribution to the "Twilight Saga: New Moon" soundtrack with an annoyed, but joking "Contrary to belief, this song is NOT about vampires." They then dipped back to 2000's "We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes" for "Company Calls".
The main set closed with some of the band's best known songs, "Soul Meets Body" and "Cath..." sandwiched around the new "Stay Young, Go Dancing". "The Sound Of Settling" then brought the set to an end, with the obligatory crowd cheering for an encore to follow.
The encore was everything you want out of the finale to a concert. They started with the simmering "Home Is A Fire", my favorite song off the new album, before "Title And Registration" kicked in to loud cheers. They returned to "The Photo Album" for "A Movie Script Ending" before closing the night with their epic masterpiece, and one of my favorite songs of all-time, "Transatlanticism". This is just one of 'those' songs for me, I'll never forget the first time I heard it. Personal circumstances, the lyrics and the beauty of it all had me in tears, and I was thrilled when they closed the 2008 show with it. I was not sure if they still ended their shows with it, but was ecstatic when I heard the train effects and the opening piano line. Unlike the 2008 show, many in the crowd were singing along and the band killed it. The build-up of this song is amazing, and watching McGerr pounding on the drums at the end as the crowd joined the band in the 'come on' chant was everything I go to concerts for. Truly a euphoric performance.
Death Cab seemed extremely excited by the crowd response on this night. It was indeed head and shoulders over the 2008 show at the Fox. A good audience can take a concert to the next level, and that definitely happened on this night as the band fed off all that energy and delivered an excellent show.
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