Nada Surf played an excellent set at Showbox at the Market in Seattle last night. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of their label, the band played
Let Go from start to finish, plus a couple of B-sides from that album's singles and a few other choice selections from its repertoire. (Since this show was a celebration for Barsuk, the group skipped anything from the Elektra-released album
High/Low, which made the show that much better.) With onstage support from longtime associate Louie Lino on keyboards, the sound was full and rich. Everyone was in top form -- especially Ira Elliott on the drums -- and the songs sounded as fresh as ever.
Mates of State played a very well-received opening set that set everyone's mood just right for the headliner. But before the headliner came on, the audience got a big surprise: an unplugged set by Death Cab for Cutie. With Jason McGerr playing stand-up drums, the group played an eight-song setlist from its Barsuk albums. I would comment on the state of Ben Gibbard's voice, except that he mostly couldn't be heard over the audience singing along.
That was the kind of evening that every music lover hopes to have. And even with the fees and other bullshit charges, our tickets still were $20 each.
