We here at DCist go to a lot of concerts. A trip to the 9:30 Club is usually less “event of the season” and more “Wednesday.” Last night’s Stars and Death Cab For Cutie show was a resounding exception. This is one we’re not gonna forget anytime soon. Both bands put on nearly flawless shows that really raised the bar.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (read: not reading music magazines or watching The O.C.) for the past few years, chances are you’ve heard of Death Cab. The Seattle four piece is revered as canonical among the indie set. Gibbard’s voice has become so iconic (both through Death Cab and his massively successful side project, The Postal Service), that hearing it live seemed a bit surreal at first. But this isn’t a band or a front man that assumes any sort of superiority over their audience; they were so in touch with the audience and happy to be playing for them that the distance between the stage and the crowd disappeared. A simple white backdrop, occasionally featuring minimal lighting effects, let the band capture the audience’s attention on their own. All of the elements of the concert worked together and nothing was overly showy. All of this was masterfully complemented by perfect sound from the 9:30 Club; we don’t think we’ve ever heard it so good there before.
Before Death Cab took the stage, Montreal’s Stars warmed up the crowd, who seemed to be there as much to hear these guys as they were for Death Cab. Set Yourself on Fire has been one of this year’s biggest treats, and the band’s live show lived up to the subtle, sweet and dramatic expectations the album had built. The delicate male and female vocals were perfectly matched by the instrumentation. Though the strings section featured on a few of their songs was back tracked, the live trumpet, played by lead singer Torqull Campbell, was a treat. Their dreamy music was punctuated by dramatic slow-motion dancing by the band members, that seemed almost like ballet. Musically complementary to Death Cab and matching the headliners in demeanor, Stars were delighted to be playing for this audience and to be touring with Death Cab. Seldom has this DCist felt so appreciated by the bands she was there to see.
And then, it was time. The crowd was in a notably friendly mood; there were very few elbows or beer waterfalls. The Sunday night show added to the relative sobriety of the audience, which made for a group more there for a concert than for a party. Or maybe everyone was just giddy from the Redskins afternoon win. Whatever the cause, Death Cab brought out the best in its fans. When they took the stage at 9:45, they opened with the first track from their latest album, “Marching Bands of Manhattan.” They were a bit restrained at first, but by the time they played “Title and Registration” a few songs in, the crowd’s attention was singularly focused on the band.
