A pair of indie rock’s most influential bands showcased two of their impactful albums on Friday, May 3rd at the MVP Arena in Albany, as The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie teamed up for an impressive co-headlining bill. The bands were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of their most celebrated albums (The Postal Service, Give Up and Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism), with each band performing their respective album in full.
The tour itself was born out of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Postal Service’s iconic (and only) studio release, Give Up. The album started as a collaborative effort between Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) and electronic wiz Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel). The album, which was praised for its creative efforts, saw the tracks written with the two mailing demo CD-Rs back and forth until reaching completion. The duo would eventually add Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) to the mix, and The Postal Service was born.
Wisconsin based Slow Pulp opened the show and provided a 35 minute set of dreamy, indie-pop tracks. From their opener, “Idaho”, the band had the early arriving crowd caught in a shoegaze induced trance.
The near capacity crowd had filled the seats when Death Cab For Cutie took to the stage. The band, all dressed in black, opened with the dramatic crescendo of “The New Year,” and continued on to perform their critically acclaimed album Transatlanticism in entirety. The album, which tells the tale of the struggles and emotions that come with a long-distance relationship, likely served as the soundtrack for many in attendance as they navigated love and loss during their adolescence.
Gibbard brilliantly wove the audience through the musical journey, which saw classic Death Cab tracks like “Title and Registration” and “Expo ’86”. Late in the set, Gibbard and his band mates performed epic renditions of the album’s title track, as well as “Passenger Seat,” both of which saw the arena illuminate with cellphone lights and even a lighter or two, a call back to the original era of this music.
Excitement was palpable through out the packed arena well before the house lights dimmed and The Postal Service made their way to the stage. Now dressed in all white, Gibbard, along with Jenny Lewis whipped the arena in to a frenzy from the opening synth notes of “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight.” While the album would cover similar themes as Transatlanticsm, the sadness and sorrow were masked with upbeat synths, sounds, and drum loops, curated by Tamborello. Highlights of the set included Gibbard and Lewis dueting on “Nothing Better” as well as the dark and isolative “This Place is a Prison”.
Gibbard and Lewis would return to the stage to perform an acoustic rendition of “Such Great Heights”, an rendition of the Give Up track which was made famous by Iron & Wine. It was the second performance of the song on this evening, as the band had previously performed the more upbeat version during the main set. It was a treat for those in attendance to hear the diverse renditions of the song, and a testament to the songwriting and musical talents displayed on the album.
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