Walking into Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium last Friday night for the Death Cab for Cutie and Stars show at around 6 p.m. fans had already formed a line at the gate while others scavenged about for tickets to the sold out event. As I walked amongst the crowd they were achatter about the forthcoming Death Cab for Cutie show and what they would be like after opting to move from Seattle-based indie record label Barsuk Records, who put out their first five records, for Atlantic that released their new full-length Plans this past September.
As I walked around the stoic War Memorial waiting for the gates to open I eavesdropped on several conversations fans were having. One in particular caught my ear, “I bet that the majority of these people have not heard anything by Death Cab before Transatlanticism,” one scenester said. “Yeah and I bet that most of them don’t even know they have six records not just two,” the other scenester said.
“Yeah they probably think Adam Brody [The O.C. star who sent DCFC into the mainstream] is in the band too, haha.”
After joining the photographer in line while waiting for the belated opening of the gates I began talking to the woman waiting in line behind me. This conversation, less cynical than the prior one, was through the eyes of a new Death Cab For Cutie fan. “I like just about anything on the radio,” the woman said. “I just went to see Ashlee Simpson last week, but I am more excited about this I just hope they do songs from the last two records because I do not have any of the other stuff.”
During the conversation her friends that had traveled with her from nearby Vanderbilt University denounced any claim to her after finding out that she had attended an Ashlee Simpson show, and then rebuked her after seeing she wore a Death Cab for Cutie shirt to the show, a scenester no, no. Our conversation was then cut short after the door attendants opened the auditorium to the crowd waiting outside on an uncharacteristically cool October evening.
After the crowd milled around to their seats, the lights went dim and the seven-piece indie rockers based out of Montreal, Stars took to the stage. Comprised of keyboard, drums, bass, violin, guitar and trumpet Stars produce a sonic tone like that of Belle and Sebastian.
Stars began their set with “Going, Going, Gone” from 2001’s Nightsongs – a mesh of ambient noise from the pedal boards and keyboard accompanied by the melodic celestial hum of the trumpet and the harmonies of vocalists Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell. Packed with pop influence ranging from The Smiths, New Order and Broken Social Scene, Stars kept the fans bobbing along to the their luscious, mix of songs from 2001’s Nightsongs and 2003’s Heart, but the crowd seemed to respond most to Star’s newest release Set Yourself On Fire.
Stars played a nearly flawless set performing “Soft Revolution,” “Elevator Love Letter,” “One More Night” and “Reunion” with vigor, but stumbled on “Big Fight” when the bassist got behind on his chord changes and “One More Night” when the drummer lost beat and over compensated by speeding up. Despite the small flaws Stars put on a very inspiring performance ending in a collage of noise and melody just like it began. * * * 1/2
After a short intermission the lights went dim and the sound of a ringing church organ filled the War Memorial as Death Cab for Cutie began their set with, “Marching Bands of Manhattan.” Almost immediately after the final chord stroke Death Cab for Cutie went into “New Year” hitting the crowd with a big one two punch with the opening tracks off their past two records Transatlanticism and Plans.
In between songs producer, guitarist, keyboardist and musical wonder boy Chris Walla switched off from guitar to keyboard. Walla’s sound while not a fret board god like Eddie Van Halen, uses his creativity to give the songs a texture and feel that are unparalleled this day and age and his musical proficiency is as well.
However Walla’s musical wizardry is just the foam on the Death Cab for Cutie latt when defining their live sound.
Drummer Jason McGerr is the backbone and the meat of the band giving bassist Nicholas Harmer a solid foundation on which to build his rhythmical bass lines while Ben Gibbard’s gentle voice and lyrics that read like that of a diary entry lull the crowd into sweet surrender.
Not once during Death Cab for Cutie’s 20 song set did they hit a sour note or disappoint. To accommodate both older fans and newer fans Death Cab for Cutie played songs from both Transatlanticism and Plans and their entire back catalogue all the way to their debut record You Can Play These Songs With Chords.
But the crowd showed its true face when Death Cab for Cutie played their breakout hit “The Sound of Settling” that bridged the gap from indie to mainstream, and the crowd went crazy for the first time the entire night.
After playing 17 songs Death Cab for Cutie said goodbye and left the stage. Like every other band they returned in 10 minutes to play three more tunes for the crowd, however not together at first.
Gibbard came out into the spotlight by himself with an acoustic guitar to play “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” and the crowd sang along like a choir with the song that has made its way onto mixtapes every where.
Then the rest of the band joined Gibbard for “Tiny Vessels” and an near 10 minute version of “Transatlanticism” when all the members of Stars came out to the group harmony “Come on, Come on.”
It is not often that a band can match the emotion they have injected into their records when they play live. Death Cab For Cutie gives you that as well as their heart and soul with every chord and every lyric. * * * * * *

Author