Concert review: Death Cab for Cutie w/ Nation of Language | 07.24.26, Stifel Theatre (with photo gallery)

Photo of Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard by Laura Jerele

What a fabulous show!! If you weren’t at the Stifel Theatre for the Death Cab for Cutie and Nation of Language show, you missed an incredible one. I was quite excited to be covering this one because I love Nation of Language, and it’s always awesome to have a show where the opener is as good as the headliner! This was an excellent billing, even if it’s just for a few shows on this tour.

If you did not know, Nation of Language a power trio of indie synth goodness, full of inspiration from the likes of Kraftwerk and New Order, but creating a bangin’ fresh sound that is catchy AF. Ian Richard Devaney (lead vocals, guitar, synthesizer, percussion), Aidan Noell (synthesizer, backing vocals), and Alex MacKay (bass guitar) make up the band, and they joked that they didn’t have much time so they were gonna just shut up and play. And that they did. Six songs went by in a flash and I’m not the only one that was wanting more! Their set was of these tunes: “Sightseer,” “Swimming in the Shallow Sea,” “I’m Not Ready for the Change,” “Weak in Your Light,” “Inept Apollo,” and “The Wall & I.” Trust me when I say add these to your playlist. 

With Death Cab being long-standing indie darlings, it’s no wonder this show was a scant few tickets short of a sellout. They sounded absolutely phenomenal and very much at the top of their game. Ben Gibbard was in fine form, leading from the front without it feeling like he’s a typical frontman, but still knowing how many eyes (and ears) are on him. His voice is so rich and unusual and he was in top form. He doesn’t carry it alone, the rest of the band are Nick Harmer (bass), Jason McGerr (drums), and Dave Depper and Zac Rae rounding things out on guitar and keys. Nostalgia heavy without feeling played out, they played “Roman Candles,” “The New Year,” “The Sound of Settling,” “Here to Forever,” and, of course, “Soul Meets Body.” I love their new songs just as much as their bigger hits, and it was nice to see those get such a great reception. The show was strong and constant and they played for a couple hours, mixing new songs in with those melancholy favorites, so if you did want that trip down memory lane… well, you got it. Their songs just feel good. No downturns with this one. 

They had a massive light show that made everything visually stunning, and it doesn’t hurt that the show was in such a beautiful, old theater. It all worked so well! And massive thanks to the fans for standing (and dancing!) as soon as the lights went down. I was so afraid people were gonna sit this one out — literally. You were loud, you danced, and you sang along. Nicely done, St. Louis! | Laura Jerele