A ‘good’ effort

October 31st, 2006 posted by robb

Death Cab for Cutie
Massey Hall – 10.30.06
Rating: 7/10

After a sub-par show in the Spring, “The O.C.” indie music stars Death Cab for Cutie returned to Toronto for back-to-back shows Oct 30/31. The boys from Seattle put on a show that had all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a rock show – an artsy stage set, solo acoustic performances, an instrumental rock out interlude, and an encore ending #1 hit “Transatlantacism”. But the show missed that last ‘umph’ to shift it from good to great.

Learning from their mistakes, DCFC switched from the deplorable acoustics and poorly managed (remember the false fire alarm they couldn’t turn off?) Ricoh Centre to the intimate and classy Massy Hall. It was a great choice for a band with a slower, emotive sound. The sound quality was crisp and well mixed throughout.

Three-piece punk-rock band Ted Leo and the Pharmacists welcomed the indie scenesters and sweet-16 high schoolers as they entered the venue. There were a few, yet highly spirited pockets of Ted Leo fans rocking out throughout his entire set. Having never come across the band before I was blown away by their raw and commanding stage presence, well crafted politically -charged lyrics and melodies that you want to learn right away to sing along.

The DCFC set started on the wrong foot. With girls yelling “OMG they’re playing MY song” and an uninvolved sit-down audience, I began to wonder if Ted Leo would be the highlight of the night. Luckily lead singer and songwriter Ben Gibbard barked at the crowd to “get off your butts off those seats and get into it!” Unfortunately, a standing crowd was as lifeless as if they were sitting. The Toronto indie scene is well known for its comatose demeanor; it doesn’t help when it’s a slow, melodic alt-pop sound that most fans use to a) make out with b) try and get someone in the mood to make out with them.

What saddened me was their attempt be a harder rock band than the (new) fans would accept. DCFC has been around for over a decade, but most only know them since the release of Transatlanticism in 2005. During “We Looked Like Giants”, Gibbard jumped on a snare/bass drum/hi-hat/ride cymbal on the front of the stage and busted into an instrumental rock-out with drummer Jason McGerr. It wasn’t complicated, but effective in constructing a wall of drum sound – of which barely affected the crowd (perhaps a miniscule head nodding at best). I had the feeling the crowd appreciated what they were trying to accomplish, but were really waiting to hear the hits.

And when the hits like “Summer Skin” and “Crooked Teeth” played, the crowd finally picked up – But highlights of the night mostly centered around their ballads. The emotion of “What Sarah Said”, “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark” (see below), and “Different Names for the Same Thing” were performed beautifully and well received. The band ended with a bang with lots of energy and excitement, and closing with their breakout hit “Transatlanticism”.

Overall it was a show that was well done… but not a spectacular one. I was honestly more impressed with Ted Leo’s raw performance. Perhaps it was a case of the opener overshadowing the final act. Perhaps it was the comatose fans. Perhaps the Halloween show that the Gibbard announced would involve “suprises” and “costumes” would give them the extra umph they lacked tonight.

Submitted by: Robb Eng

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