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Home » Concert Reviews

Show Review: Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids

Submitted by admin on April 8, 2009 – 12:37 pmOne Comment

Death Cab for Cutie along with Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot packed the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA on Tuesday night. As both opening acts draw a substantial amount of fans on their own, not surprisingly so, most of the seats were already filled when Death Cab’s set arrived.

Cold War Kids

The organized chaos of Cold War Kids rang through the hall of the two-tiered venue about half an hour after Ra Ra Riot’s set concluded. Combining a mix of their two albums, Robbers and Cowards (2006) and Loyalty to Loyalty (2008), the group smoothly transitioned between these albums during their hour set.

As their current album cover hung in the backdrop, the band combined the distinct sound of front-man Nathan Willet’s voice with their erratic musical score, which when combined asynchronously with their equally erratic dancing meld together for a rather entertaining show.


The soulful lyrics and quirky arrangement of The Cold War Kids is a pleasant change from bands who rely on catchy hooks and pop-undertones to captivate their audience. With their ability to draw in new fans wherever they go, songwriting could be the make or break factor for the Cold War Kids, although for a live show they prove instantly likeable.

The Fullerton, CA quartet is currently opening for Death Cab on their new tour. Tour dates for the group can be found here.

Death Cab For Cutie

For Death Cab, the live shows help fans embrace new material in the best possible way. Last June when we covered their show at the Mann Center, the lyrics from Narrow Stairs were yelled back to the four guys on stage as each song had already become familiar territory for the masses.

On Tuesday night, the group introduced their most recent effort, The Open Door EP, which although strewn with memorable phrases, hadn’t yet reached the point where droves of fans sang along. In fact, the crowd was much less active due to a lack of move-around room and a set list that fed upon all of DCFC’s works, and not just one album.

Besides the new material being added to the show, the Tower Theater also proved quite a different setting to hear the Seattle crew. Unlike an outdoor venue strewn with subwoofers that shake cars driving on the nearby highway, this show didn’t feature drowning bass lines.

Highlighting the show as expected were “Cath…” and “Soul Meets Body”, but the encore presentation of “A Diamond and a Tether” from the new EP could be the next anticipated song at shows. “Grapevine Fires”, which is a pretty somber-toned track, caught the emotion of the somewhat still crowd as Ben Gibbard’s vocals carefully rose and faded while the stage glowed red and blue.

For more pictures from the show and other shows, check out MUF’s facebook.

Video: Death Cab For Cutie – President of What



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Related Posts:

  1. Cold War Kids: Tonight on Conan
  2. Concert Review: Death Cab For Cutie
  3. Video: Death Cab For Cutie – Grapevine Fires
  4. Death Cab For Cutie Opening Tour Dates Announced
  5. Death Cab For Cutie: Daytrotter Sessions

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