Ben Gibbard is relentless.
You might not know it from listening to his even keel, be it on record or live as the frontman of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service. Nor would the alternative/indie/emo stylings of his two main bands suggest such verve and vigor. But the Bremerton, WA native is nothing if not an understated force in the modern music industry.
Ben’s brilliantly broadcast solo sets at his home piano during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 more than hinted at his itch to create art and share his soul with the world. His Give Up & Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour only confirmed that suspicion.
Ben and his two bands wrapped up that tour with a stellar three-night stint at the Hollywood Bowl this past week. For more than two hours each evening, the 47-year-old poured all of himself into a starring role with two distinct yet deeply intertwined acts as he led the performance of his two most iconic albums.
For Transatlanticism, Ben and his bandmates—Nick Harmer on bass, Dave Depper and Zac Rae both on guitar and keys, and Jason McGerr on drums—stepped out in black garb to strike with the album’s generally somber chord.
The Friday night performance, though, was nothing short of electric. Right from the top, with “The New Year”, they burst onto the stage, with Ben jumping and gyrating as he sang and strummed his guitar. That energy persisted through hits like “Title and Registration” and “The Sound of Settling”, all the way through to the album-closing triad of “Death of an Interior Decorator”, “We Looked Like Giants”, and “A Lack of Color”.
Following a 15-minute intermission, Ben and Dave returned to the stage in all-white outfits. They were joined, also in white, by The Postal Service’s other two pillars: Jenny Lewis on vocals and guitar, and Jimmy Tamborello (aka Dntel) on production, keyboards, and electronic percussion.
Together, this quartet perfectly replicated every note and emotion from The Postal Service’s lone release, 2003’s Give Up. Not surprisingly, the most memorable of those came early on, with the smash hit “Such Great Heights” following right behind “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” on the tracklist.
Fortunately, there was no mass exodus by the sellout crowd of 17,000-plus thereafter. Instead, they stuck around and sang along to every word on fan favorites like “Nothing Better”, “Recycled Air”, “We Will Become Silhouettes”, and “Natural Anthem”. For all the energy Ben seemed to expend during Death Cab’s set, he showed no ill effects from such a quick turnaround with The Postal Service.
If anything, his chemistry with Jenny from Rilo Kiley seemed to serve as a shot in the arm. That dynamic was all the more evident when the two of them opened the encore with an acoustic rendition of “Such Great Heights”. To close out the evening, Ben invited all the rest of the musicians from both bands onto the stage for a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence”, dedicated to the hard-working tour crew.
Now that this two-tiered tour is over, there’s no telling exactly what comes next for Ben’s bands. Death Cab released a new album in 2022, Asphalt Meadows. The Postal Service, meanwhile, hasn’t released new, original music since 2003.
Don’t be surprised, though, if Ben pulls double duty again in the not-so-distant future. There are already rumblings that Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service could be coming to a music festival near you in 2024.
Check out a gallery of photos from the joint Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service show at the Hollywood Bowl courtesy of photographer Josh Martin.
Death Cab For Cutie – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – 10/13/23 – Partial Video
[Video: No Wave Video]
The Postal Service – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – 10/13/23 – Partial Video
