death-cab-mhow

Death Cab for Cutie played MHOW and 'Letterman' (videos and setlist); next NYC show will be Madison Square Garden

words and photo by Melissa Presti

Death Cab

Death Cab for Cutie have an upcoming tour with The Antlers in support of their forthcoming album Kintsugi, but ahead of all that they squeezed in a last-minute, intimate one-off at NYC’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday (1/28) with Say Hi.

The 90 minute set was a showcase of all the Death Cab hits and favorites, and a peek at a few impressive sounding tracks from Kintsugi. “Black Sun”, “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive”, and “No Room in Frame” (all three of which were debuted in Seattle a week earlier) gave the impression that even for an eighth studio album, Death Cab is still reinventing themselves, this time with more electronic textures and synths in the mix.
Ben Gibbard apologized for the album delay, citing “we had a lot of shit going on” — perhaps referring to personal relationships, his solo release, his reunion tour with The Postal Service, or most likely the departure of Chris Walla. Ben made the round of introductions between songs, making sure the crowd knew Dave Depper (on guitar/keyboards) and Zac Rae (keyboards) were more than qualified to step in and keep the band’s nostalgic sound intact.

Before the night ended, Ben announced the next time they would play in New York would be at Madison Square Garden – encouraging everyone to tell their friends. “Seriously, tell your friends…it’s a huge place.” Stay tuned for more info on that.

The following night, Death Cab appeared on Letterman to perform “Black Sun.” Watch that, plus videos and the setlist from MHOW, below…

Death Cab For Cutie – “Black Sun” on Letterman

Death Cab for Cutie – “Black Sun” at MHOW

Death Cab For Cutie – “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive” at MHOW

Death Cab For Cutie – “Company Calls” at MHOW

Death Cab For Cutie – “Title and Registration” at MHOW

Death Cab For Cutie – “No Sunlight” at MHOW

Death Cab For Cutie – “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” at MHOW

MHOW Setlist: (via)
I Will Possess Your Heart
Crooked Teeth
Why You’d Want to Live Here
Photobooth
Doors Unlocked and Open
Grapevine Fires
Black Sun
What Sarah Said
Title Track
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
Company Calls
Company Calls Epilogue
Title and Registration
You Are a Tourist
The New Year
Cath…
Soul Meets Body
The Sound of Settling

Encore:
I Will Follow You into the Dark
No Room in Frame
No Sunlight
Transatlanticism