Oakland, Ca. openers Rogue Wave put on a solid performance. They blew up after their song, "Lake Michigan," was used in a Zune commercial.
Death Cab started strong with "Bixby Canyon Bridge" from their new album "Narrow Stairs." Then, they kicked it old school with "The New Year." Ben Gibbard and crew were all smiles and traded jokes and anecdotes in between songs — a far cry from the tortured artist act one would expect.

The upbeat show was the perfect blend of their old and new tunes. My friend was surprised at how hard the band, which is known more for hauntingly poetic lyrics than showmanship, rocked. I saw Death Cab in the summer of 2005 in State College and they put on a great show then, but Monday night's performance left me speechless. (Maybe that was because we had floor tickets and at one point, I was against the fence, mere feet away from guitarist Chris Walla.)
After the set, the packed house got to its feet and started a deafening demand for an encore. Again, another thing one might have been surprised about at a Death Cab show.

The group re-entered and gave a stunning encore and wrapped up with a moving rendition of "Transatlanticism." The concert ended with the crowd chanted along with Gibbard. "I need you so much closer..." On the way back home, my friend and I concluded that it had been one of the best live shows we'd seen so far. Here is a set list I was able to cobble together:

Bixby Canyon Bridge
The New Year
Why You'd Want to Live Here
Photobooth
Crooked Teeth
Long Division
Grapevine Fires
A Movie Script Ending
Company Calls
Company Calls Epilogue
Soul Meets Body
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
I Will Possess Your Heart
Cath...
Pictures in an Exhibition
The Sound of Settling
Marching Bands of Manhattan

ENCORE
Your Bruise
Title and Registration
No Sunlight
Tiny Vessels
Transatlanticism