Death Cab for Cutie (and The Antlers)...Finally!!

September 05, 2015

Finally, Death Cab for Cutie came back to Portland, after needing to reschedule their original date at the beginning of May. And, the wait was worth it. They played a great mix of oldies and good new ones (from their latest album, which is a great break-up album, by the way). I've seen them multiple times over the years, beginning with a couple of basement shows at the Middle East with my sister, back when they were just starting out (perfecting their emo sound). Then, I saw them open for Pearl Jam at the once-named FleetCenter (and the crowd was awful for them, very unappreciative). This time around, as the headliners, they blasted through their songs, but took their time to slow down when necessary. I got to hear two of my favorites (What Sarah Said and the closer, Transatlanticism) and everything else in between sounded great. Ben Gibbard played "I Will Follow You into the Dark" solo, acoustically, and I couldn't help but think of my first girlfriend during the song because we shared that as one of "our" songs (along with Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars"). In fact, Death Cab for Cutie was one of "our" bands, I suppose and it's interesting how we connect bands and songs to past (and present) loves. Hopefully they don't ruin them for us, though.

And The Antlers opened for them, setting the mood perfectly, with their slow and loud-crescendo bursting songs. I've loved them ever since I heard "Hospice" and they've seemed to get better with each new record. I can't find their setlist, but check out these videos and try to not be impressed.