Death Cab for Cutie performed at the Pacific Coliseum tonight in front of thousands of adoring fans.
First up after opening act, Ra Ra Riot, was The New Pornographers who played a lovely set for their hometown crowd.
When it came time for Death Cab for Cutie to hit the stage, front man Ben Gibbard referenced another time they played in Vancouver when they first met The New Pornographers years ago over at the Starfish Room. I’m unsure most of the audience knew what the Starfish Room was, but it was a fun little tidbit to be shared nonetheless.
We were treated to classics (and by classics I mean pre-OC) such as “Why You’d Want To Live Here”, “Photobooth”, “Title and Registration”, and we also heard “Marching Bands of Manhattan”, “Grapevine Fires”, “I Will Possess Your Heart”, “Cath”, and “Little Bribes” off of their EP, The Open Door. They finished off the night with an amazing rendition of “Transatlanticism”.
The band was absolutely solid and when Ben took the stage alone with an acoustic guitar (after roaring encore chants) he sang “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”. He was then accompanied by the entire audience who sang along word for word, and almost in perfect harmony.
It was so nice to finally see Death Cab for Cutie live, even if part of me really wishes I could have been at that Starfish Room show nine years ago.
Photos by John Bollwitt for Miss604.com – view all images in his Flickr set
The totally un-canceled Celebration of Light fireworks nightime summer fun extravaganza blitz is upon us once again however this year a new radio station in town is spicing things up a bit.
Shore 104 (104.1 on your FM dial) is presenting the Rogue Folk Shorefest, which is a series of three concerts facing the crowds in English Bay on each of the fireworks nights (July 22, 25, 29, and August 1). These free and unplugged performances will feature the likes of Jim Byrnes, Wide Mouth Mason, 54-40, Barney Bentall, Dustin Bentall, Odds, and more.
Things kick off at 6:30pm in the West End and you can tune into Shore 104 to hear the soundtrack to the fireworks display each night.
As a side note, on July 25th I’ll be participating in my third annual Blogathon in support of the Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver’s Downtown East side. The goal is to blog every 30 minutes for 24 straight hours and we’ll be live on location at Workspace in Gastown. As an added incentive to support my campaign, readers who pledge a minimum of $20 will all be entered to win a fireworks boat cruise presented by Granville Island Brewing. The winner and a guest will enjoy dinner, drinks, and one of the most unique views of the fireworks on July 29th.
To enter, sign up and pledge my campaign on the official Blogathon website. Thanks in advance to everyone who will be supporting my campaign in one form or another (if even by reading my site at 3am that day to keep me going).
Earlier this month I previewed a few upcoming events that all ages can enjoy for free throughout the city this summer. I’m excited to add to the list Carousel Theatre’s presentation of Macbeth, which will run on the Performance Works Outdoor Stage on Granville Island form July 31st until August 15th.
A haunting tragedy of vaulting ambition in the castles of Scotland –a murdered king, evil witches, and a Scottish lord’s bloody rise to power.
The show is entirely free of charge and to make it even more interesting, it is being presented by the Teen Shakespeare Program, starring 13-17 year olds from around the Lower Mainland. The Gothic retelling of Macbeth will be the culmination the teens’ intense 6-week program with the Carousel Theatre, which is now in its 19th year.
They will also be hosting a silent auction in order to raise funds to keep this inspirational and creative program going in the future.
Bring a blanket (and some warm clothes for the cool summer nights) to the Performance Works Outdoor Stage (Ron Basford Park) at 1218 Cartwright Street, on Granville Island to enjoy this free event until August 15th.
After walking around Central Park this morning, I started thinking about Stanley Park back home and that it would be a great time to rustle up a quick history tidbits post.
At 1,000 acres Stanley Park is just slightly bigger than New York’s Central Park (843 acres)
July 27, 1911: The Province reported that one third of Vancouver’s population had passed through the gates of Stanley Park during the week of July 10-16, making it one of the most popular pleasure resorts the Terminal City possesses.†[source]
Stanley Park is named after Lord Stanley who also has a prized hockey trophy named after him. Check out this post I wrote a little while ago with links to some great hockey history.
Plans for gun emplacements in Stanley Park, between Second and Third Beach (near the Pauline Johnson Memorial) up on Ferguson Point were made Juanary 19, 1938. [source]
In 1964 Vancouver’s Mayor Bill Rathie and Park Board Chairman George Wainborn drove the last spike in the Stanley Park miniature railway. [source]
The original Lumberman’s Arch
Related post: Vancouver History Tidbits: Stanley Park Trails & the history series.
Since I’m currently away on business I won’t have much time to post until tomorrow. However, this morning was just too good not to cover.
The only thing better than taking a morning stroll down the bustling streets of Manhattan is doing so in the company of Michael DiLorenzo, the Director of Social Media Marketing & Strategy for the National Hockey League.
Fun times are ahead for the rest of today and tonight, but I’ll see everyone back in Vancouver (if even just virtually) tomorrow evening.
