Ben Gibbard has been an outspoken advocate to save the Showbox, the iconic local Seattle venue that has a rich history going back 80 years.
That said, Death Cab for Cutie who are in the midst of a three-night stand at the Showbox, played their seminal Transatlanticsim album in full last night. They last played the record in its entirety at a 2018 show in Chicago to mark its 15th anniversary.
“What with the nostalgia of playing the Showbox again and all… it felt like a good night to revisit an old friend. Thanks, Seattle, for helping us celebrate #transatlanticism last night. See you tonight for the final show of our @showbox run, this evening featuring @lauragibsongirl !” an Instagram post from the band read.
In 2018, it was announced that a company bought the land and planned on turning into a high rise building. A number of bands have voiced their support for Save the Showbox, including Sleater-Kinney, The XX, Fleet Foxes, Run the Jewels among many more. [UPDATE: the property had a purchase and sale agreement in 2018, but it has since been canceled. Historic Seattle and Seattle Theatre Group submitted an offer to purchase the property in November 2019, which has been neither accepted nor denied as of press time.]
Gibbard spoke with the Seattle Times about the Showbox and shared his longrunning history with the venue.
“The first time we played there was June of 2000 and we sold 675 tickets or something like that. But that run at Transatlanticism, I believe, was the first time we sold out the Showbox outright. That run was a really special one for us. That whole tour was certainly a time in our career where we started to feel like things were really happening in a way that we never in a million years would’ve imagined them happening. So to end with — not just one — three shows that were sold out in advance was a very humbling experience and also a real confidence booster, like “Oh, maybe this is a real band, you know [laughs],” Gibbard said.
Check out Death Cab’s setlist below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9CajUcgrY1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Here are some fan-shot videos of the set as well:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Bb4Psg6uV/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9BbMe-h3Vn/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Ba4SqAY40/
