September 17,2004
RedFest
The University of Utah may not know how to issue a diploma, but they make up for it by throwing a great concert. Death Cab for Cutie was booked as the headliner for this year's free RedFest event. The performance was impressive from the opening number "The New Year" through the encore closer, "Transatlanticism."
The band's strength lies in its subtle showmanship and its ability to recreate the intricacies of its studio recordings in a live setting. Death Cab had a myriad of different instruments on the stage. Singer Ben Gibbard played not only his guitar, but a pair of electronic drums on "Title and Registration." When he wasn't using the drumstick to keep rhythm, he was strumming his guitar with it. Chris Walla alternated between playing guitar and keyboard and even switched bassist Nick Harmer instruments mid-song. Harmer also added some sampler work on one song. New drummer Jason McGerr was absolutely rock steady, sounding more like a drum machine than a human at times.
The majority of the setlist came from their latest, and best album, Transatlanticism. The crowd was treated to "Tiny Vessels," an extended version of "We Looked Like Giants" and even got to "bah bah" along to "The Sound of Settling."
The highlight of the evening was the encore. Gibbard sat behind the keyboard pouring out his heart on "Transatlanticism." By the third verse he had the entire crowd backing him up, singing "Come on, Come on" into the autumn air. After the last note faded and the band exited, the crowd stood in the dark and exhaled collectively, having all been temporarily lost in a wonderful moment.
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