You may have heard of a little band from Bellingham called Death Cab for Cutie. They have these really catchy lyrics and just about every girl between the ages of 12 and 17 is in love with their front man, Ben Gibbard. Death Cab is currently on tour and they stopped in Spokane on April 24th. To be honest, I was more excited about the opening bands for this show than I was to see Death Cab.
Ra Ra Riot, from Syracuse, NY opened the night with a sound that makes me think of Vampire Weekend but with the addition of a cello and violin. I immediately fell in love with their energy and sound. (I’m also a sucker for string instruments.) Unfortunately, no one seemed to be attending to the lights and soundboard. Throughout their entire set, the lights were kept at a just-too-bright level and the vocals were drowned out by the guitar and constant chatter of concert-goers waiting to be impressed.
This brings up two issues:
- At the majority of local shows I have been to the past few years, people tend to just stand around with arms crossed as if waiting to be impressed while the musicians onstage sing/play their hearts out. What gives? Are we too cool to enjoy the music? There have been a couple of exceptions to this. One that really stands out was a show at Caterina earlier this year with Please Draw in Me. When those guys start playing, I don’t think anyone can resist the urge to dance!
- Poor lighting and sound are not only an insult to the musicians, but also the fans who shell-out their hard earned money to see and hear a good show. It’s venues like Caterina with their painstaking attention to sound and lighting that keep Spokane’s music scene thriving!
Cold War Kids, from Long Beach, CA took the stage next with a great light show and an energy that pulsed through the stadium and shocked everyone out of their cooler than thou trance. Bodies started moving in time to the music and elbows met stomachs as people forgot themselves and finally gave in to the music. The light and sound was much improved for CWK and their set proved to be a great warm-up for the headliner, Death Cab.
As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t too excited about Death Cab. I enjoy their music and find myself singing along with the catchy lyrics, but they just don’t get my adrenaline flowing. Maybe it’s because they’re over-played. Maybe it’s because their sound is now oh so familiar. Whatever the case may be, when you’re on the floor with thousands of other bodies around you and everyone starts singing along to a song like The Sound of Settling, it’s hard not to get swept into it all.
There is something about the experience of being one of the thousands of voices joined together in song that leaves me with a feeling of pure joy. If ever there was a thing to bring people together, it is music. I know I’m not the first person to realize this and many have capitalized on it. In fact, the experience reminded me a lot of my time attending a certain Northside Christian church as a teenager.
