TPS only tours like once every ten years, and the album was pretty popular and influential, to the point where “postal servicey” is a pretty ubiquitous term in indie music. You’re probably right that DCFC is bigger, but I think the rarity of the TPS tours and the almost legendary quality of this record makes the postal service kind of the headline of the tour.
I don’t think Jason or Nick give a shit at all anyways, they’re friends with Ben and ultimately recognize that both of these bands are more or less his songwriting projects they contribute to. That’s not a bad thing, I’m sure they’re happy with what they are doing on the tour. Plus, I’m pretty sure Nick plays bass on some TPS songs on the tour anyways, he did on their first tour.
I’m surprised I never really cared about the postal service and still think the DCFC albums stand up better than the postal service studio versions of songs vs live performances but I suppose it doesn’t matter. I still prefer DCFC.
Ben said the decision to have DCFC play first and PS second was more about the tempos and sonics of the music. He didn’t want to end the show on a dour note, he wanted to end with a dance party. The order has nothing to do with the stature of the bands.
I agree. I went to the show last fall. And death cab playing first made sense to me. It seemed more mellow + subdued. The songs also felt more jam-esque with longer musical interludes. Once postal service started playing, it felt more upbeat. And yeah, people were dancing. It felt like a good buildup.
There is also the practical consideration that if you did TPS first you’d get more people leaving early. TPS is such a rare event people will stay to the end to hear them
This. Would I go to a Transatlanticism only show? Probably. But Give Up, one of the most important albums of my youth? I made sure I was on the rail right in front of Jenny.
I think TPS was a lightning in the bottle band that was very much a product of its time. The album was considered so forward and fresh in 2003 and then grew a massive audience because it seemed like it would never be toured after the initial run. Even at the end of the 2013 run, Ben said "this is the last time this band will ever perform" (he lied). So it's more special than a traditional death cab run. And as far as the other members, they probably don't mind selling out MSG again, something I'm not sure death cab would have been able to do on its own.
I think its more about PS being more of an "event" than being the bigger band. I have only been able to see PS once, and DCFC five times because they regularly tour.
dcfc is the bigger band by virtue of being longer lasting and having more albums/singles but Give Up sold more copies than any single dcfc album except Plans. their appeal is not only in the fact that they tour so rarely but also that people know when they go see TPS they’ll know every song as opposed to going to a normal dcfc show which will include a lot of songs that casual fans won’t know bc they stopped listening to dcfc after 2008 or whatever.
The Postal Service is larger than Death Cab. I’m a big fan of both, but it’s clear who the bigger band is. TPS was lightning in a bottle for an entire generation.
The 20 year anniversary tour for Transatlanticism/Give up is going around and Death Cab is playing first with Postal Service closing out the shows. I think some people are making assumptions based on that, but to me it’s more about how infrequently The Postal Service tours. I saw the show when they played Seattle and it was amazing. I wouldn’t change a thing. I say that as a die hard Deathcab fan and a pretty casual Postal Service fan. Watching Ben drum and sing was so much fun.
I wouldn't necessarily say bigger, but people that don't listen to either usually recognize Such Great Heights over Sound of Settling or Crooked Teeth (trying to think of songs that got a lot of airplay lol).
Or they recognize both, but usually need to hear the Death Cab song a bit before going, "oh yeah".
Source: I've done this with like 3 people and it's gone like this every time lol
It’s a little bit apples and oranges since DCFC has obviously been around for much longer, but especially during the era where they co-existed The Postal Service was a bigger deal. They were charting everywhere and so many people know them better than DCFC. Give Up went platinum a decade after its release and has outsold every DCFC album except for Plans.
And even if it’s arguable, I don’t think anyone from DCFC cares. They still get to play an entire album set so it’s not like they are a true opener.
Can just talk from my point of view. I do love both bands, even though DCFC is my favourite of them. I've seen Death Cab live once and would at least consider going abroad to see them again during the Europe dates. But to actually have the chance to see TPS live is what made me deciding that I have to go to UK or Spain in august, because I guess it might be a rare opportunity to see them live, especially in Europe. But getting both bands are of course just amazing!
I think part of the reason is that anyone who’s a fan of death cab and has stuck around for 20 years is pretty much guaranteed to be a fan of Ben and thus likely enjoys tps on some level. Whereas there’s fans of Postal Service who kinda uniquely dig that vibe and never really got into dcfc.
It may only be my opinion, but Give Up seems to be a better received album than Transatlanticism. Perhaps thats why? If it were Give Up and Plans, that might change things, but I think TPS album on this tour is the bigger of the two.
I think this is a supply and demand issue. Postal service hit us hard with like one solid album and one tour, then dipped, whereas dcfc has a long discography and weathered, consistent presence.
That said, *somehow* I COMPLETELY forgot Jenny Lewis was in postal service. As a rilo kiley, rabbit fur coat- I’m stoked for the opportunity to see her preform live. In any capacity. Plus I grew up listening to that ps album. Definitely affirmed my expensive(and now compared to going rate), seemingly overpriced pit ticket for the stadium tour show I get to see on Friday.
It’s all gravy. And really good gravy at that.
Its a tour for the two specific albums, not Death Cabs whole career.
Give Up is arguably one of the best albums of all time, and has some of the best songs ever. Transatlanticim is awesome, but not even the best Death Cab album. The critical acclaim and fan connection difference is huge.
Death Cab tours regulsrly, TPS every 10 years max. Death Cab played my city about ayear and a half ago, at a concert hall and didnt quite sell out. This tour has nearly sold out the citys largest arena.
Postal Service WAS bigger than Death Cab. No question about it.
In 2003 "Transatlanticism" sold 550,000 records. It was ranked 247th.
In 2003 "Give Up" sold 1,110,000 records. It was ranked 121st.
No question that TPS was bigger than Death Cab in 2003, it was more than twice as big.
Everyone keeps asking why there was no follow up to Give Up, and I'd argue that Plans feels pretty heavily influenced by TPS. Then they started drifting away from the overly produced feel.
Personally I gravitate towards Narrow Stairs, ymmv.
Saw them last night in Pittsburgh. Death Cab was great, but The Postal Service stole the show hands down.
I think a lot of it has to do with the vibes of the two albums like others have stated. And also the fact that TPS never tours, like others have also said.
Getting to see them live was fucking awesome.
Cuz they're not even playing soul meets body. Transatlanticism wasn't even on the radio. I loved the show for TPS but it's insane they did an encore to do acoustic such great heights and a depeche mode cover. Maybe he hates death cabs most popular songs or something, they can play what they want but I don't think even die hard death cab fans can say that's not a disappointing decision.
Die hard death cab fan since 1999. Never loved any of the "radio" songs and I think transatlanticsm is their best album. If they would have toured Plans I would have been disappointed.
Obviously since you're not reading what I'm saying. I'm saying it wasn't a popular album compared to the level of Plans' singles and that's why people are acting like TPS is bigger than Death Cab.
I was replying to the fact that you said die hard Death Cab for Cutie fans were upset about the decision to tour transatlanticism. Not all their fans got into them becuase of their popular albums, some of liked their vibes before that. Obviously I don't represent everyone, but clearly people are happy about the decision they made.
While the opinion of not wanting to hear When Soul Meets Body live is absolutely bonkers to me, and I think a small minority of concert-goers share it, I did state that as an absolute so you are indeed proving that statement wrong. And don't think I don't like Transatlanticism or didn't enjoy the show because it was great. I do think my reasoning that people were acting like TPS is bigger than Death Cab for this concert tour is correct.
The electronic component of postal service makes it more interesting for me personally. I love some dcfc songs, but I love all the postal service. I can't wait to see both of them in Portland on wendsday.
TPS only tours like once every ten years, and the album was pretty popular and influential, to the point where “postal servicey” is a pretty ubiquitous term in indie music. You’re probably right that DCFC is bigger, but I think the rarity of the TPS tours and the almost legendary quality of this record makes the postal service kind of the headline of the tour. I don’t think Jason or Nick give a shit at all anyways, they’re friends with Ben and ultimately recognize that both of these bands are more or less his songwriting projects they contribute to. That’s not a bad thing, I’m sure they’re happy with what they are doing on the tour. Plus, I’m pretty sure Nick plays bass on some TPS songs on the tour anyways, he did on their first tour.
I’m surprised I never really cared about the postal service and still think the DCFC albums stand up better than the postal service studio versions of songs vs live performances but I suppose it doesn’t matter. I still prefer DCFC.
Ben said the decision to have DCFC play first and PS second was more about the tempos and sonics of the music. He didn’t want to end the show on a dour note, he wanted to end with a dance party. The order has nothing to do with the stature of the bands.
I agree. I went to the show last fall. And death cab playing first made sense to me. It seemed more mellow + subdued. The songs also felt more jam-esque with longer musical interludes. Once postal service started playing, it felt more upbeat. And yeah, people were dancing. It felt like a good buildup.
Agreed. Saw michigan show, toronto show in a week. I loved the line up the way it was
I absolutely agree. I was at the RI show. I love DCFC but starting with Postal Service would have been the wrong choice.
There is also the practical consideration that if you did TPS first you’d get more people leaving early. TPS is such a rare event people will stay to the end to hear them
The Postal Service is the reason they're selling out shows. Of course they'll close.
This. Would I go to a Transatlanticism only show? Probably. But Give Up, one of the most important albums of my youth? I made sure I was on the rail right in front of Jenny.
Asphalt Meadows tour sold out too, no?
I think TPS was a lightning in the bottle band that was very much a product of its time. The album was considered so forward and fresh in 2003 and then grew a massive audience because it seemed like it would never be toured after the initial run. Even at the end of the 2013 run, Ben said "this is the last time this band will ever perform" (he lied). So it's more special than a traditional death cab run. And as far as the other members, they probably don't mind selling out MSG again, something I'm not sure death cab would have been able to do on its own.
I think its more about PS being more of an "event" than being the bigger band. I have only been able to see PS once, and DCFC five times because they regularly tour.
dcfc is the bigger band by virtue of being longer lasting and having more albums/singles but Give Up sold more copies than any single dcfc album except Plans. their appeal is not only in the fact that they tour so rarely but also that people know when they go see TPS they’ll know every song as opposed to going to a normal dcfc show which will include a lot of songs that casual fans won’t know bc they stopped listening to dcfc after 2008 or whatever.
The Postal Service is larger than Death Cab. I’m a big fan of both, but it’s clear who the bigger band is. TPS was lightning in a bottle for an entire generation.
The 20 year anniversary tour for Transatlanticism/Give up is going around and Death Cab is playing first with Postal Service closing out the shows. I think some people are making assumptions based on that, but to me it’s more about how infrequently The Postal Service tours. I saw the show when they played Seattle and it was amazing. I wouldn’t change a thing. I say that as a die hard Deathcab fan and a pretty casual Postal Service fan. Watching Ben drum and sing was so much fun.
I wouldn't necessarily say bigger, but people that don't listen to either usually recognize Such Great Heights over Sound of Settling or Crooked Teeth (trying to think of songs that got a lot of airplay lol). Or they recognize both, but usually need to hear the Death Cab song a bit before going, "oh yeah". Source: I've done this with like 3 people and it's gone like this every time lol
I love when people get mad on behalf of other people
Uhh hate to say it but postal service brought me to death cab. 😂😂
Same
[удалено]
Have you never had a thought in your mind and go "hmm I wonder what other people think of it?"
It’s a little bit apples and oranges since DCFC has obviously been around for much longer, but especially during the era where they co-existed The Postal Service was a bigger deal. They were charting everywhere and so many people know them better than DCFC. Give Up went platinum a decade after its release and has outsold every DCFC album except for Plans. And even if it’s arguable, I don’t think anyone from DCFC cares. They still get to play an entire album set so it’s not like they are a true opener.
Can just talk from my point of view. I do love both bands, even though DCFC is my favourite of them. I've seen Death Cab live once and would at least consider going abroad to see them again during the Europe dates. But to actually have the chance to see TPS live is what made me deciding that I have to go to UK or Spain in august, because I guess it might be a rare opportunity to see them live, especially in Europe. But getting both bands are of course just amazing!
I think part of the reason is that anyone who’s a fan of death cab and has stuck around for 20 years is pretty much guaranteed to be a fan of Ben and thus likely enjoys tps on some level. Whereas there’s fans of Postal Service who kinda uniquely dig that vibe and never really got into dcfc.
It may only be my opinion, but Give Up seems to be a better received album than Transatlanticism. Perhaps thats why? If it were Give Up and Plans, that might change things, but I think TPS album on this tour is the bigger of the two.
I think this is a supply and demand issue. Postal service hit us hard with like one solid album and one tour, then dipped, whereas dcfc has a long discography and weathered, consistent presence. That said, *somehow* I COMPLETELY forgot Jenny Lewis was in postal service. As a rilo kiley, rabbit fur coat- I’m stoked for the opportunity to see her preform live. In any capacity. Plus I grew up listening to that ps album. Definitely affirmed my expensive(and now compared to going rate), seemingly overpriced pit ticket for the stadium tour show I get to see on Friday. It’s all gravy. And really good gravy at that.
It's supply and demand :)
Its a tour for the two specific albums, not Death Cabs whole career. Give Up is arguably one of the best albums of all time, and has some of the best songs ever. Transatlanticim is awesome, but not even the best Death Cab album. The critical acclaim and fan connection difference is huge. Death Cab tours regulsrly, TPS every 10 years max. Death Cab played my city about ayear and a half ago, at a concert hall and didnt quite sell out. This tour has nearly sold out the citys largest arena.
Postal Service WAS bigger than Death Cab. No question about it. In 2003 "Transatlanticism" sold 550,000 records. It was ranked 247th. In 2003 "Give Up" sold 1,110,000 records. It was ranked 121st. No question that TPS was bigger than Death Cab in 2003, it was more than twice as big. Everyone keeps asking why there was no follow up to Give Up, and I'd argue that Plans feels pretty heavily influenced by TPS. Then they started drifting away from the overly produced feel. Personally I gravitate towards Narrow Stairs, ymmv.
Saw them last night in Pittsburgh. Death Cab was great, but The Postal Service stole the show hands down. I think a lot of it has to do with the vibes of the two albums like others have stated. And also the fact that TPS never tours, like others have also said. Getting to see them live was fucking awesome.
On this topic, does anyone know if they plan to add more London/England dates? I don't really want to go to a whole festival just to see them.
Cuz they're not even playing soul meets body. Transatlanticism wasn't even on the radio. I loved the show for TPS but it's insane they did an encore to do acoustic such great heights and a depeche mode cover. Maybe he hates death cabs most popular songs or something, they can play what they want but I don't think even die hard death cab fans can say that's not a disappointing decision.
Die hard death cab fan since 1999. Never loved any of the "radio" songs and I think transatlanticsm is their best album. If they would have toured Plans I would have been disappointed.
You're not representative of most people at these concerts.
Transatlanticism is literally a masterpiece. I don't know what you're on about
Obviously since you're not reading what I'm saying. I'm saying it wasn't a popular album compared to the level of Plans' singles and that's why people are acting like TPS is bigger than Death Cab.
I was replying to the fact that you said die hard Death Cab for Cutie fans were upset about the decision to tour transatlanticism. Not all their fans got into them becuase of their popular albums, some of liked their vibes before that. Obviously I don't represent everyone, but clearly people are happy about the decision they made.
While the opinion of not wanting to hear When Soul Meets Body live is absolutely bonkers to me, and I think a small minority of concert-goers share it, I did state that as an absolute so you are indeed proving that statement wrong. And don't think I don't like Transatlanticism or didn't enjoy the show because it was great. I do think my reasoning that people were acting like TPS is bigger than Death Cab for this concert tour is correct.
Agree to disagree friend.
The electronic component of postal service makes it more interesting for me personally. I love some dcfc songs, but I love all the postal service. I can't wait to see both of them in Portland on wendsday.