Few artists can ever hope to have a year as good as 2003 was for Ben Gibbard. First, in February of that year, the wistful Death Cab for Cutie frontman’s side project, the Postal Service, released its well-received debut — and ultimately sole studio release — Give Up. A few months later, Death Cab released its fourth album, Transatlanticism. Both albums became canon in the third wave of emo’s lexicon.

Two decades later, 2023 is treating Gibbard — and fans of both albums — just as well. Earlier this month, he embarked on a co-headlining 20th-anniversary tour to celebrate both albums. Each night, Death Cab and the Postal Service play their respective magnum opuses in their entirety. 

But the evening wasn't solely focused on the works of Ben Gibbard. Tour openers Warpaint treated the crowd to a fantastic set of lush, indie-tinged dream pop with a hint of psychedelic rock. Warpaint's dancey drum beats, spacey and heavily delayed guitars, and thumping bass lines combined with angelic three-part vocal harmonies created a sound that perfectly bridged the gap between the two co-headliners. Playing for just 30 minutes, Warpaint managed to squeeze in songs from all four of their acclaimed studio albums.

It’s difficult to view each co-headliner’s set separately. It didn’t feel like two bands performing together in the traditional sense. Instead, Sunday’s show felt like a two-act play with a 20-minute intermission and one hell of a coda. While this format might seem like quite an undertaking on Gibbard’s part, in some ways, it might actually be easier than playing a nearly two-hour Death Cab for Cutie set nonstop. Besides, as an avid ultra-marathoner, Gibbard is no stranger to committing to something for the long haul.

Act one featured a black-clad Death Cab for Cutie — Gibbard, drummer Jason McGerr, guitarist Dave Depper, pianist Zac Rae, and bassist Nick Harmer — exploring the trials and tribulations of long-distance love. From the swelling first chords of “The New Year” to the melancholy final notes of “A Lack of Color,” Death Cab’s Transatlanticism set was outstanding. Gibbard’s voice never missed a note, the band was as tight as ever, and waves of cathartic nostalgia washed over the crowd.

By far, the highlight of this first act was a hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Transatlanticism.” The nearly eight-minute track stretches far out and builds into a massive crescendo. It’s the point in the album when Gibbard’s main character has a reckoning with the distance, both physically and emotionally, that’s only grown wider in his relationship. During the song’s final ascent, the crowd of over 8,000 was dead silent. All chatter faded away. Gibbard’s repeated pleas of “I need you so much closer” had everyone under a spell. As the song ended, that silence continued. There were no immediate cheers as the crowd no doubt needed a moment to compose themselves.

That stunned silence followed most songs in the set. And while Gibbard certainly could’ve filled that space, he didn’t. He left space to connect with each song before moving on or peppering in the occasional banter. The silence remained as all exited the stage except Gibbard and Rae. The duo performed a deeply moving version of “Passenger Seat.” As one of the rare happy love songs from Transatlanticism, “Passenger Seat” was a perfect follow-up to the title track and gave Gibbard’s melodic voice some extra time in the spotlight. 

When it was time for act two, Gibbard returned to the stage. This time, he had producer, keyboardist, and Postal Service co-founder Jimmy Tamborello; guitarist and backing vocalist Jenny Lewis who led Rilo Kiley before launching a lengthy solo career; and Dave Depper on keys. All four were dressed entirely in white. The stage had also transformed from the gloomy, dark lighting of Death Cab’s set to a brilliant white. 

The opening electric organ chords of “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” rang out. As the Give Up opener details the final days of Gibbard’s own long-distance relationship, it was a fitting follow-up to the Transatlanticism set. The song’s chorus featured the first of the night’s many vocal harmonies between Gibbard and Lewis, and the crowd erupted at their perfectly in-sync voices. 

If act one focused on Gibbard’s main character in this story, act two introduced us to Lewis’ often scene-stealing supporting role. Her vocal lead on “Nothing Better,” the culminating break-up moment in the story, cut right through the spacey, dance-fueled beat and kept the song’s emotional finality firmly grounded. Lewis and Gibbard also treated fans to two renditions of the band’s most beloved song, “Such Great Heights.” During the main set, their voices were in perfect lock-step harmony in the chorus. But it was during the encore’s acoustic remix that Lewis made the song a true duet and let her own voice shine, moving from a supporting role to a co-star.

Throughout the Postal Service’s set, Death Cab drummer Jason McGerr — now dressed in white, of course — sat in with the quartet to round out their rhythm section. At other times, Gibbard himself sat behind the drum kit, including an extra dancey and extended outro on “We Will Become Silhouettes” and “This Place is a Prison.” The deep bass tones on the latter rattled every rib cage throughout the Armory. While Gibbard’s drumming on “This Place is a Prison” certainly drew a lot of cheers, Lewis once again upstaged him with her final heavy, drawn-out guitar chords.

“Brand New Colony” provided the climactic end to the Give Up set. While the night was full of surreal moments, none was more spellbinding than Gibbard and Lewis’s vocal harmonies at the penultimate track’s end. Like a conductor leading a choir, Gibbard directed the crowd to join in for the last few repetitions of the song (“everything will change”) before transitioning right into the final song of the album and main set, “Natural Anthem.”

In addition to the aforementioned remix of “Such Great Heights,” the two-song encore brought Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service together for an electrifying cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.” This final coda to the night’s two-act drama was the perfect end to the night.

The Postal Service

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Death Cab for Cutie

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Warpaint

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Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism Setlist

The New Year

Lightness

Title and Registration

Expo '86

The Sound of Settling

Tiny Vessels

Transatlanticism

Passenger Seat

Death of an Interior Decorator

We Looked Like Giants

A Lack of Color

The Postal Service Give Up Setlist

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

Such Great Heights

Sleeping In

Nothing Better

Recycled Air

Clark Gable

We Will Become Silhouettes

This Place Is a Prison

Brand New Colony

Natural Anthem

Encore

Such Great Heights (Acoustic, Gibbard and Lewis only)

Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode cover with Death Cab for Cutie)