Death Cab For Cutie packs the TLA for the Made In America after-party

Death Cab for Cutie | Photo by Matthew Shaver | brightloud.com

After the show is the after party… – Jay-Z

The founder of Made In America summed it up nice and neat, and this year Death Cab For Cutie delivered on those words. South Street’s TLA was packed to the brim for a pretty spectacular close to the weekend, and gave us all something to think about as we lay in bed hungover on Monday.

I was at MIA for a large portion of the day, heatstroke and everything had set in, but I’m pretty sure I heard Ben Gibbard remark either that Philly is the greatest east coast city, or his favorite. Doesn’t really matter because those two phrases are synonymous in this case. I am an unabashed Death Cab fan, but I have some people that can vouch for me when I say I am not afraid to give my opinion when a band I love is having a bad day (or year, or decade). So, I mean it when I say that this was a positively enchanting show from beginning to end.

No soup, no salad, all steak. After a huge cast of “openers” including Beyonce and The Weeknd (whom they so graciously thanked) DCFC powered through some impressive renditions of old and new that hit on a little of everything from their career. Personal favorite “Title Track” sounds every bit as good in person as it does on We Have The Facts and We’re Voting Yes, from the muddled beginning to the glorious explosion when it becomes a full fledged song. To their credit, the sound crew at TLA was about as on point as I’ve ever heard them, with an impeccable mix.

I had a conversation with my editor before we headed out to MIA for the day and he reflected upon the various versions of “Trasatlanticism” he has heard live. He lamented that none of them truly delivered on the promise of the record until the rendition they did on day on of MIA. I have to imagine that what we heard at the end of the night, at the bottom of countless cups of beer, raucous sing-alongs, and with no more room for anyone to move, was that times 1000.

Setlist
No Room in Frame
Crooked Teeth
The New Year
Black Sun
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
Title and Registration
Little Wanderer
President of What?
El Dorado
I Will Possess Your Heart
You Are a Tourist
Cath…
Soul Meets Body
Bixby Canyon Bridge

Encore:
I Will Follow You Into The Dark
Title Track
Marching Bands of Manhattan
Transatlanticism