DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE BRINGS PURE BLISS TO THE GREEK THEATRE IN LA
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY TIMMY FARMER
What’s there to say about Death Cab For Cutie other than they’re like sipping on a hot cup of coffee at a diner during a cold autumn’s day? Full-bodied and robust, precise yet relaxed, the group performed close to a two-hour set at the famed Greek Theatre in Los Angeles that kept the audience craving refill after refill.
Yo La Tengo opened the night with a plethora of tunes to ease the sole. Their music has stood the test of time, since 1984, to be exact. Formed by three friends in New Jersey, the group is often known as “a critic’s band” by most. Their music is rounded, mellow, indie, and humble. If you don’t own one of their multiple records, do yourself a solid and tap into them as soon as humanly possible - you’ll thank us later.
Right around 9:40 PM, the lights when down, and five shadowy musicians appeared on stage. As the music began, Ben Gibbard, frontman and main songwriter for DCFC (Death Cab For Cutie), was silhouetted in a beautiful blue-washed backlight, and the song “I Don’t Know How I Survive” gently started playing through the PA. Looking around one would see fixated fans on Gibbard, mouths open, and souls ready for a full night of musical healing.
Death Cab doesn’t just put on a show - they hold church. It’s not your typical religious experience, per se. Think of it as a reinvigorating, rejuvenating experience that is propelled by paramount musicality. Songs such as “A Movie Script” ending and new track “Here To Forever” could be interpreted as tracks from the gospel according to Death Cab For Cutie.
Photo: Michelle Shiers
As the night drew on, the lights and sounds of Death Cab continued to hold everyone’s attention, magnetizing the entire amphitheater. Not too loud and not too bright, the show’s production was exactly where it needed to be.
Tracks including “I Miss Strangers”, “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”, and “You Are A Tourist” all made it into the beefy, 23-song setlist.
The evening concluded with “Brother on a Hotel Bed”, “Pepper”, “Soul Meets Body” and “Bixby Canyon Bridge”. A set spanning nearly two hours is no easy feat yet for a group like Death Cab, it becomes commonplace. Maybe it’s the fans that drive them, maybe it’s the ambiance of playing in the woods at Griffith park. Or maybe it’s a combination of being one with everything, and everything being Death Cab’s music.