This fall is promising to be a busy one for Benjamin Gibbard. 2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of two different albums from two Gibbard-fronted bands, Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism and The Postal Service’s Give Up, and he’s celebrating through revisitation of these landmark releases. Last night (September 5) Gibbard and his bands kicked off a national tour that will have the frontman working a double as each of his respective bands will perform their 20-year-old albums in full. This marks the first Postal Service show in over ten years, their last performance being at 2013’s Lollapalooza. The first stop of this 20th anniversary was in Washington D.C. at The Anthem with Gibbard sticking to his promise while throwing in a few surprises to keep things interesting.
Last night’s setlist stuck to the nature of the tour. Death Cab for Cutie ripped through Transatlanticism while The Postal Service reveled in the excitement of their return show. The Postal Service ran through Give Up but they didn’t stop there. Gibbard and the iconic Jenny Lewis joined forces for an acoustic duet of “Such Great Heights”. The night ended with members of both bands covering Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence.
This is just the start of a Gibbard mania as both his bands are hitting the road in a big way. The bands will stay another night at The Anthem before heading out to Portland, Maine for a show on September 8. The tour will have the bands on the road until mid-October with stops in Philadelphia, Boston, and Denver, and ends with a string of shows across the West Coast. Check out the full list of dates, full setlist, and footage from last night’s show below.
09-06 Washington D.C. – The Anthem
09-08 Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena
09-09 Kingston, RI – The Ryan Center
09-10 New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
09-12 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall
09-13 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall
09-14 Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
09-17 Detroit, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheater
09-19 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
09-20 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
09-21 Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center
09-23 Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
09-24 Minneapolis, MN – Armory
09-26 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
09-27 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
09-28 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
09-30 Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
10-01 Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre
10-03 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
10-04 Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels
10-06 Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
10-07 Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
10-09 Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley
10-10 Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley
10-11 Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley
10-13 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
10-14 Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
10-15 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
10-16 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
