Live: Death Cab for Cutie w/ Fleet Foxes @ The Fabulous Fox 10/13/08

Say what you will about white people owning my ancestors for generations and what have you, but never let it be said that those motherfuckers don't know how to start a concert on time.

Last night, I strolled into the Fabulous Fox Theater, handed my ticket to one of the senior citizens that work there, was shown to my seat (which was one of the better ones in the building), and then, bam, the Fleet Foxes started singing. Right as the clock struck 8 p.m.

It was magic.

Would it have been worth it, if I could have seen Death Cab for Cutie somewhere else other than the ghost town that is downtown St. Louis, where it wouldn't have cost $40, plus another $8 to park? Maybe not, but what are you gonna do? There's only so many places in this town a band can play. It could have just as easily been at the motherfucking Pageant. (Whew!)

Like a lot of groups that come through the Fox, openers Fleet Foxes couldn't help but comment on how ridonkulously ornate it is on the inside. They wanted to know if everything in St. Louis looks like that. Someone should have taken them for a drive around the corner before they went on.

I'd seen the Fleet Foxes once before, at this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, and I found them to be rather disappointing, despite the fact that their first album, released earlier this year, is fucking incredible. At the time, I figured it may have been a matter of the atmosphere at an outdoor music festival not being particularly conducive to their brand of delicate, CSNY-esque folk rock.

But playing indoors at a place like the Fox theater, which has gotta be as good a place as any for that sort of thing, only managed to improve their sound somewhat. You could hear the vocals way better, but the harmonies weren't nearly as strong as they are on record, nor did the rest of the mix seem to mesh very well together.

Also, what was with them not doing that song "Oliver James," or whatever it's called? It's not like they didn't have the time. Their set last night was mad brief. And they did it at P-fork, and it was easily the highlight of their set. You wondered how a guy could sing like that and not completely shred his vocal chords. I guess he figured he didn't want to risk that just for St. Louis.

Oh well.

At least Death Cab for Cutie managed to completely exceed my admittedly rather low expectations for them.

I mean, I figured I'd enjoy the show, in the sense that I've enjoyed the shit out of the last few Death Cab albums. But I figured it might also be kinda lame, in a VH1. Death Cab, after all, has more songs on the muzak at the BGM than anyone other than maybe John Mayer.

Surprisingly, though, Death Cab live is a way different band than you'd think. Lead singer Ben Gibbard still kinda looked like a young version of the guy who taught me high school chemistry, complete with a flannel shirt that may have come from Sears, if they still shirts at Sears, but otherwise, his demeanor was full-on rock star.

He does this thing where he rocks back and forth the entire time while he's singing, which I suppose could be viewed as some sort of Asperger's tic, but I thought it gave him a sort of Jim Morrison, lizard king vibe. Some girls couldn't help but squeal, as if he was Justin Timberlake or some shit. If he wanted to, he probably could have had his run of chubby Midwestern girls after the show.

The setlist stuck mostly to joints from the last few albums. Which was good, both in the sense that I'm not familiar with their early work in the least bit, and in the sense that those last few albums are strong enough that they could craft a pretty good hour and a half-long set just of joints from Plans and Narrow Stairs, let alone Transatlanticism.

A few highlights of last night's show:

• The surprisingly muscular rhythm section of several songs, but Plans' "Crooked Teeth" in particular.
• The fellow on keyboards sneaking in a bit of Tegan and Sara's "Back in Your Head" during "Soul Meets Body." Or was I imagining that?
• The show suddenly turning into that silly Dashboard Confessional episode of MTV Unplugged during "I Will Follow You into the Dark."
• The huge, foreboding bassline that kicks off Narrow Stairs' creepy lead single "I Will Possess Your Heart."
• Wondering if they might not do "Marching Bands of Manhattan," then having it be the big closer.
• Wondering if the drummer was gonna pound a hole in his drums during "Transatlanticism," the last song of the encore.

And after the jump is the Fleet Foxes' video for "He Doesn't Know Why."