So we spent last weekend in Virginia Beach, VA. We went specifically to see Death Cab for Cutie in the nearby city of Norfolk.
It was the longest (and most ambitious) road trip I’ve embarked on to see a band; a foreign state in a foreign country. And despite Virginia Beach being fairly disappointing, suffering from unforgiving and zealous developers, the weekend was fantastic and worth the trip.
The Death Cab show was a world away from The Corner in Melbourne 2003 where the venue was divided in half by a curtain and they struggled to fill even that. This gig was packed (sold out) and the stage had a backdrop reflecting their current album cover. The one constant was the quality of the gig. Over 2 hrs they touched on all albums, although dipping heavily into Transatlanticism and Plans. No “Title Track”, but at least they played “Photobooth” and “Company Calls” for me. The duelling drums of Ben and Jason on “We looked like giants” was amazing to watch and set the crowd off.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists supported. They rocked – and if you like The Clash or The Jam, I’d look them up.
The venue was a beautiful old theatre in Norfolk – a city with the largest naval base outside of Russia. The venue was a little more polished than you would expect from your average rock gig, but the weirdest thing was that the bands kept starting bang on time.
My only complaint – that all the OC kids kept singing along – loudly. Even during a quiet Ben-only acoustic number. I didn’t pay for bad karaoke. But, hey, 10 out of 10 for knowing the words kids.
Other weekend highlights:
kebab substitute after DCFC – italian sub sandwich from Chichos pizza
the 2 days of freaking awesome fall weather
gorgeous fall colours on the trees on the way up
the dunes, pipers and Atlantic ocean on the un-destroyed Back bay wildlife refuge
going to find dinner and instead drinking for 5 hours with a local artist, a social worker, a homeless guy called “Grey Wolf”, a bouncer, 3 naval pilots on F-18 training and a girl who controls the aircraft carriers
seeing the dismal swamp canal on the way home despite the torrential rain
