There are many paths to fulfillment: undoubtedly, standing below Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard with your best friend from high school (who got you into the band in the first place) is one of them. A true paragon of the “indie darlings” label that permeated mid-2000s alternative rock culture, Death Cab have stayed consistent in releasing music since the late 90s when they first made waves with albums Something About Airplanes, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, and The Photo Album. Their growing popularity eventually garnered them a platinum album with 2005’s Plans. 

While it was surprising that Gibbard and co. opted to play so few tracks from their 2003 masterpiece Transatlanticism, it wasn’t necessarily disappointing. This is a band that’s been going on roughly 25 years. They’ve got a deep well of material to choose from, plus a new album to boot. In fact, they played most of the new record – Asphalt Meadows, their best effort in years – plus a smattering of selections from Narrow Stairs, Plans, plus a few from the early records (“A Movie Script Ending” and the encore’s “405” were welcome additions for the ride-or-dies). The rest of the set was rounded out with selections from Plans and Narrow Stairs, perhaps an indication of Gibbard’s personal affinity for these albums. 

While it is an obvious fan favorite (not to mention the band’s best known song), there is still something wonderfully special about “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.” While the rest of the band took a quick break offstage, Gibbard – armed with an acoustic guitar – led the audience in a resounding singalong of this tender track that invokes a more loyal version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth.

The title track from Transatlanticism – with its slow, swirling piano and cathartic refrain – is generally a staple of Death Cab’s set, an almost-guaranteed closer with the power to bring the house down. This tour seems to see Ben Gibbard growing a little weary of the tried-and-true formula of previous setlists. If you’re really itching to hear a Death Cab greatest hits set, then this probably isn’t the tour for you. But if you want to see a band out to prove that they’ve still got everything it takes to strike a crowd with more than enough emotional resonance, then catch Death Cab on the Asphalt Meadows tour. 

Check out our photos from the show below.