DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE @ Quai Jacques Cartier

By Lindsay Wood - Through Being Cool - 06/06/2008

You know the feeling you get when you finally get the chance to see a band you just keep missing (because either the band got injured on a previous tour, or you happened to take an extra work shift without realizing that it was on the same night as the show)?  That’s the feeling I had when I saw Death Cab for Cutie. We were finally able to be in the same place at the same time on their most recent Montreal visit, meeting when “soul meets body” at the Quai Jacques Cartier.

There weren’t as many people at the show as I expected, but then again, the weather had been pretty questionable for the past few weeks. It was grey and cool outside, as though the forces of Ben Gibbard were fighting off the rain. As soon as the group came on, though, it was love at first sight. One of the best things for me is when a band sounds as good live as they do on CD, and Death Cab did just that. They sounded amazing, playing a great mix of songs, both new and old.

There was little bit of acoustic in their set, but unfortunately, not too much banter. It didn’t feel very personal. Actually, it felt more like a band that had never played here before, which is hardly the case for Death Cab. I didn’t feel like they were playing for me, and I wasn’t as lost in their songs as I had hoped to be. I mean, I was by the end of the concert because I had a few beers, but the boys from Bellingham, Washington weren’t able to evoke that emotion in me from their music.

All in all, the band sounded good and I can’t say I was disappointed, though I had expected more from them. A few more songs would have helped, but otherwise, it was worth the metro trip down to the pier.

(If you like emo kids in glasses, AA shirts and REALLY tight pants, it would have been worth it for you.  Holy -- was there a dress code I didn’t know about?)

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