Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab For Cutie LIve!

Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab For Cutie
Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The double bill of Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie sure did look strange on paper. After all, the first are a Scottish-bred band of ’80s-influenced garage rockers, while their partners are a dominant Seattle force pushing heartfelt modern rock with a little bit of (dare the word be uttered) emo. While the geographic and stylistic differences are poles apart, whoever put the package together must have been keeping an eye on the charts and CD sales — both acts are among the top of today’s crop. Plus, the joint effort has also led to sellouts in virtually every city, further verifying that a crowd of mostly teens and 20somethings have more diverse tastes than radio programmers give them credit for (or that they’ll flock in droves to whatever happens to be the rage at the moment).

On this particular evening, Franz Ferdinand won the coin toss and chose to receive. While they might be rusty at opening, they began with a bang, balancing the best of 2004’s self-titled debut and the fresh You Could Have It So Much Better. Despite the latest album demonstrating derivative signs of the first, both projects and the songs presented were so energetic it was impossible not to be swept up in a series of skip-a-long guitar lines, monstrous choruses, and jarring backbeats. “Do You Want To” was one of the most forceful moments of Franz’s show, bouncing back and forth between garage-derived grime and a thundering club beat, which of course took the basic blueprint of their breakthrough hit, “Take Me Out.” That track reached ear-shattering, sing-a-long heights; even two years after its release it can’t be shaken from one’s head. The older “This Fire” and more recent “The Fallen” rose to the surface with even more weight and belligerence, while a three-person, percussion finale injected an even greater dose of charisma.

In fact, the attendees were so amped after Franz’s finale it didn’t seem like the much more mellow Death Cab For Cutie could pick up the reins. Though it took the group awhile to sink into their stride, the setlist was tailored toward more momentum-building material rather than shoegazing ballads. With that direction in mind, DCFC thankfully ditched the more mundane and morose selections from its Atlantic album Plans, touching on that disc’s few aggressive crests and a back catalog primed for audience participation. Though the new “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth” have picked up some steam, they didn’t hit with the immediacy of the much more memorable “The New Year” and “Why You’d Want To Live Here,” two early examples of why Chicago seemed to want Death Cab to close, despite Franz’s blistering presentation.

“We played Schubas earlier today, which was the first venue we ever played in town,” said frontman Ben Gibbard, referencing a secret radio station gig while further cementing the group’s connection to this city. “We only had about 20 people show up back then and now look at you all.” The sincere statement further built up emotions for a ramped up “The Sound Of Settling,” along with the swelling encore “Transatlanticism,” which led with the lines “I need you so much closer.” Even in the massive space, the band made the moment appear intimate, delivering a different type of intensity from their tourmates that was equally endearing.

— Andy Argyrakis

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly