Lauren Mayberry performs with Death Cab for Cutie at The Anthem on Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker; video by Jordan Grobe)

It was a night filled with nostalgia for many people in the audience, as Death Cab for Cutie played The Anthem recently to a packed crowd.

The tour arrived on Oct. 17 in support of Death Cab’s Thank You For Today album released last summer. This album marked 20 years of the band being together. Lead singer Ben Gibbard recalled playing at the Black Cat with a small crowd to a huge 6,000 capacity of The Anthem. For me, attending their show with friends from high school at the 9:30 Club in 2008 was a big deal! After 10 years, I was long overdue to see them once again.

Stream Thank You for Today by Death Cab for Cutie on Spotify:

Death Cab opened the night with a few songs from the new album. “I Dreamt We Spoke Again” was very indie-mellow pop tune while “Summer Years” reminded me of “Weird Fishes/Appreggi” by Radiohead. The crescendos of the baseline reached a climax bridge to follow the same baseline, continuing the same beat til the end.

The night continued with Death Cab for Cutie weaving through new and old material throughout the set. Personal favorites like “Crooked Teeth” and “I Will Possess Your Heart” made the whole crowd ecstatic with feelings (or at least that’s how I felt). With a few water breaks in between, Ben and company played straight through the DC setlist.

To our surprise and delight, Lauren Mayberry, lead singer from Chvrches, was invited on stage to sing “Northern Lights.” DC was very lucky to have Chvrches playing the next night and to fit in a surprise collaboration was amazing. Watch Lauren sing “Northern Lights” with Death Cab for Cutie (video by Jordan Grobe of The Anthem)!

https://youtu.be/2vmdwWdxeQI 

Soon, “We Laugh Indoors” (a personal fave) brought out the aggressive-indie bridge that makes you want to start a mosh-pit, but you remember that your at a Death Cab show. Rounding out the night was “Soul Meets Body” and “The Sound of Settling.”

Viewing Death Cab from the balconies in The Anthem, I had a clear view of the stage and the crowd. I can count on my two hands how many people had their phone out through the two-hour set — that’s how mesmerizing Death Cab was. A couple of fans filmed their favorite song, but it was amazing to see people just simply enjoying and being present that night.

The night ended with four songs as part of their encore. Crowd favorites “I Will Follow into the Dark,” “When We Die,” “Tiny Vessels,” and “Transaltanticism.” I wonder how hard is it for bands like Death Cab to pick what to do on a setlist when they have so much material to sneak in plenty of deep cuts.

Setlist: