After last year’s extensive Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service co-headlining tour celebrating 20 years of Transatlanticism and Give Up, respectively, Ben Gibbard was initially hesitant to dive into another nostalgia-themed run—especially when that former band also had a new album waiting to be written. Yet to mark the 20th anniversary of another landmark album, Plans, they sketched out a brief three-city jaunt. What they didn’t anticipate was the overwhelming fan response. Tickets were snatched up instantly, prompting the band to add extra nights in each city.
Tuesday night marked the final show of their three-night stand at the Brooklyn Paramount. Rather than feeling like a retread, the performance came across as surprisingly fresh and deeply emotional. The album that marked Death Cab’s major-label debut, Plans clearly still resonates. For many audience members, the mid-2000s was a formative time as they first discovered the band and came of age with Gibbard’s music. One attendee had traveled all the way from Arizona just for the show.
With Plans performed in its entirety, the band was free to explore the rest of their catalog afterward, pulling out fan favorites that turned the night into a full-on sing-along. As the crowd spilled out into the streets, faces lit up and voices hoarse, it was clear this wasn’t just a cash-in. It was a moment, two decades in the making, worth celebrating.
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
THE AMERICAN ANALOG SET
