The Postal Service – Comerica Theatre – 4/18/13

The Postal Service’s reunion is still fresh. The band played its first live show on April 9, the day the Give Up reissue was released in honor of The Postal Service’s 10-year anniversary.

The reunion news was sudden and raised some questions. First and foremost, would the reunited Postal Service be any good? Since the Postal Service split, Ben Gibbard has been busy with Death Cab for Cutie, and Jenny Lewis has been wrapped up with her solo work. Would the duo have any chemistry? Dating a bandmate is always awkward.

The short answers: Yes, it was good and, no, it wasn’t awkward.

In fact, Gibbard and Lewis’ chemistry was key to the show. Whenever the multi-instrumentalists were playing guitars, they’d inch toward the middle of the stage and face each other for a playful moment. Their vocal harmonies sounded better than ever and the songs were performed with a youthful enthusiasm that belied their decade off. Perhaps it’s because it’s still early in the tour, but the novelty has not worn off: The reunited Postal Service managed just the right mix of newness and nostalgia.

Opening with “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight,” “We Will Become Silhouettes,” and “Sleeping In,” The Postal Service’s set initially focused on slow, intimate songs. Things picked up a little bit for “Turn Around,” one of the new songs included on the reissue.>

Encore:
(This is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Dntel cover)
Brand New Colony

Critic’s Notebook:
Last Night: The Postal Service at Comerica Theatre.
Personal Bias: Jenny Lewis first inspired me to dye my hair red.
Overheard in the Crowd: “It’s nice to see Ben Gibbard act like a frontman.”
Random Notebook Dump: Wow, does everybody play drums in this band?

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