Twenty-five years and 10 studio albums in, Death Cab for Cutie remains strong in concert as was evident Thursday night at The Factory in Chesterfield. In fact, the in-demand 8-time Grammy® Award-nominated rock quintet just added another chunk to their Asphalt Meadows headlining tour for early 2023.
Their stop in St. Louis put them near square in the middle of the current leg of the tour celebrating their new album Asphalt Meadows, which was released September 16, to widespread acclaim with SPIN calling it “their best album in years…there are elements of the band’s early work…while also feeling fresh — thrashier and livelier than ever before.” And from the fan’s reactions, they seem to agree.
The fog machines worked furiously prior to the band’s 9 p.m. start with the band entering on stage in a haze of deep blue lighting. The rest of the night the bright white, blue and pink mesmerizing lights as well as the quickly-moving, appealing songs Death Cab for Cutie is known for, easily flowed from newer into older fan favorites and made for a meaningful concert for all in attendance.
Fans swayed to favorites such as “A Movie Script Ending” and bopped to newer ones such as the upbeat, danceable “Here to Forever.”
The four-song encore included two from the new album and ended with the graceful “Bixby Canyon Bridge.”
Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr all have their style and forms down making this rock show look effortless.
Thao (formerly of Thao & the Get Down Stay Down) opened her last night on tour with Death Cab for Cutie with a 35-minute set of hauntingly bright, yet deep and soulful sounds. Backed with a bass, guitar and drums, Thao Nguyen, who shimmered in her gold-lamé shirtdress, tackled real, modern issues with her stirring lyrics and captivating presence. Songs included “Marrow” and “Temple” which she shared that she wrote from her mother’s perspective of fleeing war. Nguyen took a moment early on to say they’d visited City Museum earlier in the day and how glad she was that John, the drummer, didn’t get stuck in any of the tunnels.
The only downside to the night was the huge amount of people in the audience talking loudly during Thao’s entire set (we apologize, Thao) — they truly missed a wonderful set. And while it wasn’t as bad during Death Cab for Cutie’s time on stage, it was still quite noticeable in many areas. Newsflash talkers — the people around you didn’t pay to hear you gab, please remove yourself from the room next time.
Find all photos here: https://bit.ly/DeathCabFC22cz
Setlists:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/death-cab-for-cutie/2022/the-factory-chesterfield-mo-43b1130b.html
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/thao-nguyen/2022/the-factory-chesterfield-mo-73b11205.html
