Death Cab for Cutie | Madison, WI
Fresh off the heels of their astounding new album Asphalt Meadows, indie rock mainstays Death Cab for Cutie stopped at The Sylvee in Madison, Wisconsin for a sold out first date of their album release tour.
Thao opened the evening with her artsy blend of pop and rock elements, accompanied by an impressively tight live band. With a plethora of unique vocal inflections and infectious melodies, Thao’s stage presence was truly something to behold.
After an incredibly brief changeover, Death Cab for Cutie took the stage with a self-described ‘adult-sized portion’ of a set. The band opened with the first two tracks from Asphalt Meadows - the incredibly dynamic ‘I Don’t Know How I Survive’ and bombastic ‘Roman Candles’. The explosive walls of distortion in the former shook the rafters, while the latter’s disorienting nature was only emphasized by the band’s awe-inspiring light show. Without taking a breath, the band immediately transitioned into a string of fan-favorites, starting with Transatlanticism opener ‘The New Year’. Much of the set was dominated by songs from Asphalt Meadows - nine of the eleven songs from the record were performed, many for the first time live.
After ethereal Asphalt Meadows highlight ‘Rand McNally’, came fan-favorite ‘I Will Follow You Into the Dark’ - and the crowd sang along with such volume that vocalist Ben Gibbard was nearly impossible to hear at times. Potentially the most underrated song from Plans, ’Your Heart is an Empty Room’ was next, followed by Asphalt Meadows’ title track and the band’s contribution to the New Moon soundtrack ‘Meet Me on the Equinox’. A trio of commercial high points in the Death Cab for Cutie’s catalog followed in ‘The Ghosts of Beverly Drive’, ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ and ‘Soul Meets Body’. Gibbard then announced that the band would be leaving with a bedtime story, as they closed their set with the epic ‘Foxglove Through the Clearcut’.
After saying goodnight and the crowd refusing to leave, the band came back out and performed four more tracks, starting with the beautifully poppy and simple ‘Pepper’. ‘405’ and ‘I’ll Never Give Up on You’ followed before the band said goodnight once again before launching into a crazed performance of ‘Bixby Canyon Bridge’ - one final massive wall of sound from a band many know for the softer moments of their catalog.
Asphalt Meadows truly is a feat worthy of a world tour with its tracks as the focal point, and Death Cab for Cutie seem confident that this late-career reinvigoration will one day be heralded as one of the highest artistic points of their impressive career. This is truly a moment to behold for the band, and the kickoff to the Asphalt Meadows tour stood as a celebration of this astounding achievement.
Read our review of Asphalt Meadows HERE
Review by Jake Ciccotelli
