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Sunday, Mar 21, 2010
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Death Cab for Cutie treat hometown fans to peak performance |
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| Death Cab for Cutie treat hometown fans to peak performance | ||
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by Albert Rodriguez -
SGN A&E Writer Death Cab for Cutie September 1 Memorial Stadium Anyone who missed Death Cab for Cutie's appearance at Bumbershoot can begin kicking themselves immediately. This wasn't just another performance by the local pop-rock act, this was a showcase of their wide-range talent and an elevation from great band to musical powerhouse. With only a backdrop of their latest album cover visible onstage, 2008's chart-topping Narrow Stairs, the foursome opened with a lush rendition of "Bixby Canyon Bridge" from the new record. Lead singer and guitarist Ben Gibbard's vocals were in top form right from the start, and they'd remain this way throughout the group's set. His hair at shoulder length, Gibbard looked swell in form-fitting black slacks and a plaid, long-sleeved shirt. In fact, the entire band arrived fancied up for this grand occasion - the headlining spot at Seattle's premiere music festival. "The New Year" was played next, which got the crowd singing along jubilantly, and it had a nice thrust to it that people enjoyed bobbing their heads to. "Crooked Teeth" and "Long Division" were early entries on the set list, marking the first of my six times seeing Death Cab for Cutie in concert that quicker-paced material dominated the upper portion of their show. Especially for this massive festival audience, some who'd waited hours for prime real estate on the stadium's carpeted main floor, the mid-tempo songs fed into concertgoers' anticipation and anxieties. "Soul Meets Body" encouraged another sing-along, one that was heard from the crammed pit up to the far end bleachers, which were also packed. Three years after its release and the many times I've heard it played on the radio or my iPod, I never tire of listening to it. On this night, "Soul Meets Body" sounded fantastic, thanks to Gibbard and Chris Walla's on-point guitar strumming. On "I Will Possess Your Heart," it was Nick Harmer's bass intro that made it heavenly. And Jason McGerr isn't one of those percussionists who shows off with a huge drum solo or continually crashes his cymbals, yet he's consistently good at all moments. What really gave Monday's concert the edge over previous Death Cab for Cutie shows was the offering of pleasant surprises on their set list. "Summer Skin" from the quartet's Plans release is a song often treated as a distant relative, played only once in a while. It received tremendous reaction from the crowd, and I loved how the group kept it as a simple pop number instead of turning it into an overdone rock piece. But the highlight had to be an acoustic solo version of "I Will Follow You in the Dark" by Gibbard, a Grammy-nominated ballad that also appears here and there on Death Cab for Cutie's set list these days. It was done similarly at Sasquatch this summer, though I firmly believe Gibbard slowed it down a notch, and as a result delivered it with great delicacy. "The Sound of Settling," which nearly always closes out a Death Cab for Cutie concert, was actually sprinkled in midway through. It got the audience jumping and swaying again, depending on how close you were to the stage. This meant an uncommon favorite would end the show, making way for the biggest surprise - a blissful version of the rarely heard "Marching Bands of Manhattan." "We're Death Cab for Cutie and we're from right down the block," said Gibbard before bidding adieu. "You'll see us at the grocery store, shopping for groceries, standing in line for pizza. We'll be there." However, that wouldn't be the last we'd see of the band. They'd return for a whopping four-song encore, which included a dandy swing-through of "Title and Registration" and a superb, calm rendition of "No Sunlight." By no means was Death Cab for Cutie's set at Bumbershoot a lengthy affair; it began and completed in the allotted 90-minute timeframe. But it was so excellent on all levels - each group member played incredibly, the song roster was better than most of their other concerts, and the mood of the performance really captured this bittersweet night that saw an end to summer for many and the start of a dramatic change of seasons. Though, if you ask me, I think it's just that Death Cab for Cutie has finally matured into a class act that few bands ever really become. |
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