Death Cab For Cutie - The Ryman (05-03-09)

Over the last four or five years, Death Cab For Cutie has worked their way in to my top five recording artists. It all began in April of 2004 when my brother, Andy, got tickets to a tour he thought I’d really like (Pedro The Lion, Ben Kweller, DCFC). I was in for the hand and excited to see Pedro. We road tripped across Tennessee to Nashville to a little place downtown called Rcktwn. At the time, Death Cab had come across my radar on occasion, but I didn’t consider myself a fan… yet. Pedro and BK were great, and then out came Death Cab. I was hooked, and they reeled my in when they played the title track from their latest release “Transatlanticism”. From then on, I have been mesmerized by Ben Gibbard’s lyrics and the unique sound of the bad. So, needless to say, my nerves were filled with excitement when I heard they were coming to Nashville and the Ryman. I bought tickets for a friend and I, and I will admit I was even more excited for him to see them for the first time, just as I’m sure Andy felt a few years back.

The Ryman Auditorium is one of my favorite venues in Nashville to see a “larger” show. The Mother Church, as the locals have deemed it, provides an intimate feeling even while being surrounded by 2300 close friends. The Ryman is steeped in history, and I always find myself thinking about the hundreds of musical talents whose songs and voices have projected from that stage over the course of its life.

Ra Ra Riot, a fellow Barsuk label mate, from Syracuse, NY opened the show, blending indie rock and emo with violin and cello. I can’t say I was blown away with the live set, but it did make me want to take a listen to their record. Matt Costa followed, and I knew that his set would be enjoyable when he came out singing acapella, as the acoustics of the building are good enough that even off mic, he was intelligible. His sound of acoustic rock and country seemed very fitting for the venue, and he was fun to watch as it looked like he and his band were having a blast. Highlights from his set included an energetic “Mr. Pitiful” and “Miss Magnolia”. As much as I enjoyed his set, I was pumped about DCFC.

As the lights dimmed I knew we were about to witness a great show. Death Cab opened with “Your Heart Is An Empty Room”. Initially I was surprised; I never thought of this song to be an opener, but after a verse and chorus, it felt great, and I was reminded of why I like this song and this band. They transitioned into “The New Year” followed by “Crooked Teeth”, “Grapevine Fires”, “A Movie Script Ending”, “No Sunlight” as well as, “Little Bribes” and “A Diamond And A Tether” from their latest release, ‘The Open Door EP’.

Just past halfway through the set, Ben announced “This is a love song” as the bass lick started to “I Will Possess Your Heart”. In an odd way, I felt relieved to hear the tension created by the extended intro translated so well live as it is on the record. From there it was a single light on Ben while he played “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”.

The set wound down with more favorites; “Soul Meets Body”, “Cath”, “Marching Bands Of Manhattan”, “Title And Registration”, and “The Sound Of Settling”. At the end I knew there would be one last song, and as Ben sat down behind the keys, leaving Chris Walla to play guitar, I knew exactly what song it would be. But I let the anticipation build anyway, because I knew this was the perfect way to end this set. Death Cab For Cutie played “Transatlanticism” just as I remembered it from Rcktwn. I knew they had reeled my friend in and made another lifelong fan, which was confirmed by his excitement as we exited the venue and walked through the rain to the car.

Overall, the show was an A+, 5 stars. There was a good mixture of songs, from new to old, hits to album cuts. The production values were excellent; the mix sounded good and the lighting was very impressive. Death Cab, to me, is a band who gets better with ago. Each album explores a new face of these four gentlemen from Seattle, and each tour leaves me, as it did this night, with a smile and anticipation for the next time I get to cross paths with them.

(This review was provided by Michael Hewitt, the curator's brother)