Death Cab for Cutie Tour Blog: Part 1

The band’s currently on tour in support of their seventh studio album, Narrow Stairs, which just came out this past Tuesday and is poised to ascend the great heights of the Billboard 200 next week. And because they’ve got a way with words, and because they’re some of the nicest guys in the business, they agreed to email us tour diary entries.

Here’s the first of several Death Cab for Cutie tour updates:

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

We landed this morning at Heathrow, and for the first time in recent memory everyone’s checked bags actually showed up on the other side. Good bag karma is a great way to begin any trip for sure.

So here we are. In glorious London, England. The struggle and the only real priority for the rest of today will be to stay awake. Jet lag is a formidable foe but one that can be defeated. As long as you tackle it immediately, there is no such thing as “napping to get adjusted to the new time zone.” I’ll just have to put up with the strange mix of starvation (Am I hungry? Should I eat now?), nausea (Am I going to be sick?), nervous energy (I’m in London!!!) and exhaustion (What time is it back home again?) no matter what.

After checking into the hotel, me and of few of the other boys decided we needed to go on a long walk and just keep moving. Although possible, as I found out in Australia in 2006, it is extremely difficult to fall asleep standing up and your odds get even better when you are walking with a group of chatting friends.

Our tour manager Mark, who was once a resident in London, suggested we take a walk to Brompton Cemetery near Earl’s Court. Not all of us went, but for the group of us who did, it was effective way to push through the jet lag fog and fight the urge to just take a “quick” nap.

Here’s a photo I took:

It might seem a bit macabre to go for a stroll through a cemetery, but to be honest, it was the perfect thing. Brompton Cemetery was more like a park, quiet and uncrowded, and for me a peaceful place for reflection and thought. It may be a huge cliche to walk through a cemetery and think about life, but there I was, completely embracing it. I mean, really, how can you walk through a field of faded headstones and not think about your own life and the journey you are on?

The past years of being in this band have been quiet a journey for sure. And here we are at the beginning of a new one, a new album, new songs, new tours, and new adventures. I wonder where Narrow Stairs will lead us?

The next few days in London will be exciting and busy and stressful and thrilling. Tonight we gather up the band a crew and eat dim sum. Tomorrow, the work begins. More to follow…

– Nick Harmer

+ More Death Cab: Watch their new video, “I Will Possess Your Heart,” and exclusive video interviews of the band talking about the new album.

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