Death Cab for Cutie — A Magical Musical Adventure in Brooklyn

October 31, 2018 by

As concert goers arrived, they streamed through the magical environs of the Kings Theatre, anticipating a memorable night from Death Cab for Cutie. This alternative rock band did not disappoint, and they thrilled attendees with their multifaceted live performance, loaded with just the right amount of special effects that perfectly complemented their musical territory.

Charly Bliss/ photo by HBL

Charly Bliss/ photo by Howard B. Leibowitz

The music began as support act Charly Bliss took the stage, promptly at 8 p.m., and launched into “Heaven,” their latest single. They’re a Brooklyn-based four-piece band, led by Eva Hendricks, an unabashed Cyndi Lauper devotee. Indeed, Lauper’s “All Through the Night,” which showed off their hard driving sound with Ms. Hendricks bouncing all over the stage, was on their set list.

Death Cab for Cutie launched their 24-song, 90-minute set with “I Dreamt We Spoke Again, from their latest album, Thank You for Today,” with a mesmerizing visual video backdrop, complete with laser lights and their trademark three-part harmonies. They continued with “Summer Years” and its’ scintillating guitar riffs and Ben Gibbard vocals. Other set highlights included “Gold Rush,” another familiar, hook-laden track from the new album and “Black Sun” from 2015’s Kintsugi album, which has become a Death Cab trademark anthem. Gibbard showed his musical diversity, by moving seamlessly from the guitar to the electric piano for a dreamlike version of “60 & Punk,” followed by another of their timeless classics, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” which is on 2008’s Narrow Stairs album.

Ben Gibbard /photo by Mark Doyle

Before closing out the powerful musical night, there were shout-outs to Charly Bliss and a nod to “anyone who saw us at The Bowery Ballroom.” Ben Gibbard began the four-song encore set on acoustic guitar, with a solo version of “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” which began as a gentle sing-along and morphed into a full-blown one at his urging, with the sellout crowd chanting every lyric.

Death Cab for Cutie has come a long way since they first got together in Washington State back in the last century and continue to evolve and progress as a magical musical force that delights and amazes.