Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand @ the Tweeter Center

First off, Camden, NJ actually is pretty scary. Because of the event there were tons of cars with kids and police directing everybody, but the area just looks ominous. I know that they're trying to "improve" the waterfront area and while it can definitely be done (look at NYC's Times Square for an example) I think they still have a long way to go...

Anyway, as for the actual show, I really enjoyed it. Strangely enough this was my first large arena seated concert (having done most of my previous concert-going in the small towns of Ithaca and Rochester, plus a handful of club shows in NYC and Philly) and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The arena was nicely laid out...lots of seating but a good view even from the back (and from my height of 5 feet tall). Most shows I've been to I end up sitting in the balconies anyway.

We missed all but a few minutes of the opener, the Cribs, so I can’t say much about them. Franz came on first and they were pretty much exactly as I had expected. Really high energy, really fun, and really British (well Scottish). I was proud of myself because I recognized pretty much all the songs they played, though I’m not as familiar with their new album. Loved "Take Me Out" and their closer "This Fire."

Then Death Cab came on, and honestly, I hadn’t been sure of what to expect from them live, especially at a large venue. Their style of music is pretty opposite from Franz Ferdinand in terms of energy at least, and it’s hard to tell how that kind of musci translates live. Will it just sound like the recording or will there be a little something extra? I’m happy to report that the latter was true. Ben Gibbard’s voice is so good that it more than filled up the arena and their performance was just really spirited, even in the slow songs. I was super excited to hear "Company Calls," "A Movie Script Ending," "The New Year," and "Transatlanticism" but in general I think I was little underwhelmed by their set. I think the thing with Death Cab is that they have so many albums already and I like so many of their songs that it was kind of hard to not be disappointed. I was especially sad that they didn’t play "Marching Bands of Manhattan," which is my current favorite from their new album. I guess that just means that I have to go see them again! Oh, and their set and lighting scheme was really cute.