Despite the multiple accolades some of us have given Death Cab for Cutie’s live shows in the past, sometimes, the band’s lo-fi stylings and muted yet upbeat melodies just don’t quite do it for all of us. A lot of times, their albums — though plenty and successful — always seem to leave us wanting a little something more. Last night however, not only did we get that little bit more, we were converted into full-fledged fans.

Unfortunately, due to working at the polls in Virginia combined with the always frustrating Northern Virginia syndrome of bad drivers in the rain, we missed opener Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. While DCist has reviewed them before, we’re sorry we missed what Ben Gibbard later said to be “the single most rocking band we’ve ever played with.” Gibbard went on to kindly suggest we go buy one of their CD’s, and that it would make one’s “life sunnier.” Consider the weather these past three days, I hope some people took him up on that suggestion.

So back to Death Cab and what we consider one of the best examples of showmanship we’ve seen in ages. On album, DCFC comes across as being a bit of a soft-pop, indie band that delivers easy to swallow melodies with interesting lyrics and interesting, yet mellow, arrangements. Live they’re all this, with the addition of a little-boy like fervor that comes through particularly in Gibbards impressive vocals; they really bring his lyrics to life. Right off the bat, opening with “Marching Bands of Manhattan” and immedietely jumping into “The New Year”, we realized that any conception of DCFC as being a “soft” pop band would have to be revised. Their hip gyrations, enthusiasm, facial and physical interplay, instrument switching and of course, the charisma machine that is Ben Gibbard simply blew us away. His vocals are delivered in layers of a lilting falsetto and an enveloping, unrivalled warmth. That treatment was best displayed on his solo acoustic song mid-set, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.” My hair stood on end as he went into his last chorus, and I expect, considering the amount of screaming that ensued, that many others felt the same. On album, his falsetto can become grating, but on stage his voice tugs at all the right strings. Lead guitar and keyboards (alternating depending on the song) were manned by Christopher Walla, delivering the type of melody that echoes in your mind long after the song has ended. The band was rounded out by the always strong Jason McGerr on drums and Nick Harmer solidly on bass.