On Tuesday April 24, indie-rock band Death Cab for Cutie rocked out at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, N.Y.
At 7 p.m. the doors opened to the orchestra hall, an unconventional venue for a rock concert.
The audience filed into the main auditorium for a forgettable opening by Low, which went on for an hour before the band vacated the stage in favor of Death Cab.
Death Cab took the stage, led by Ben Gibbard and accompanied by the Magik*Magik Orchestra, a group that collaborated with Death Cab on its latest LP Codes and Keys. Gibbard explained Magik’s presence at the beginning of the act, saying that the band wanted to see how its older music could benefit from a little supplementation.
Death Cab’s use of bright and dim lighting to portray the different moods of each song added to the spectacle. The effects complemented the crisp, quiet sounds of the band and orchestra.
While on tour a band generally plays songs from its newest album in order to promote it, but Death Cab developed a happy medium with songs from Codes and Keys as well as songs from older well-liked albums such as Transatlanticism and Plans.
The original set only lasted an hour. Audience members provided such enthusiastic applause that it was clear they wanted an encore, but Gibbard and friends let the suspense grow as they ignored the call for a good five minutes before taking the stage for what was likely the best part of the show.
Gibbard led his band into a seven-track encore set that included some of the Death Cab’s most popular songs. Among them were “I Will Follow You into the Dark” and “Tiny Vessels.” Gibbard also played a cover of a song by recently split-up rock band R.E.M., a group which he said strongly influenced Death Cab.
After a second and final bow, the band parted with an audience that was now far more satisfied with the evening.