When I found out I was going to be able to catch The Postal Service’s intimate show at the Metro the day after their Lollapalooza performance, I was excited. I considered myself lucky to catch a small show after such a large one. What I didn’t realize was how truly special the show would be. During their Lollapalooza set Ben Gibbard announced that it was their penultimate show, with the show at The Metro being their last. My jaw almost dropped. Not only was I catching the Postal Service’s final show, but I was doing it as a New Yorker, seeing them do it all the way in Chicago.
The Metro’s capacity stands at 1,100 people. It was comparable to Webster Hall here in New York. The fact that The Postal Service were playing their last show ever here was mind-blowing. There was a line of people waiting outside just hoping to get in. It was probably fruitless as this was a sold out show to begin with, and probably near impossible to get it knowing that this was the last hurrah.
The Postal Service was all business. They chugged through the first third of their set and didn’t stop to acknowledge the buzz in the air. Ben eventually broke the news again, but told people to enjoy the show and sing/dance their hardest, as this would be it. Getting to hear “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”, “We Will Become Silhouettes”, and “Sleeping In” live for one last time was bittersweet, as they sounded as good as I have ever imagined, but tough to enjoy to the fullest with the distraction that this is the last time I would ever hear these gems live.
The band wasn’t sappy about it, but it was impossible to ignore their body language. They were getting emotional and as the set grew closer and closer to the end, the emotions were beginning to fill the building. It all came full circle as Ben stopped to introduce everyone in the band one final time, and even joked that since it was the last show, he could finally tell everyone how he really felt about them. He finished it off by telling Jimmy “When you sent me the music to this song we’re about to play, you changed my life forever.” and then they launched into Dntel’s “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan” which was the first time Jimmy and Ben worked together musically.
From here on out the realization that this was it was in full motion. With an epic performance of “Brand New Colony” the show was over. But then they launched into “Such Great Heights.” Ben then said “Not only is this the last song of the tour, this is the last show we will ever do.” He then urged everyone to sing along, and then every person in the entire venue sang their hearts out to one of the defining songs of the past decade. It was a glorious moment that I feel blessed to have been a part of, and it was as proper of a sendoff as one could have hoped. It’s a show and moment that I will never, ever, forget.
Find a whole gallery of photos from the show below, along with videos of the final performance of “Such Great Heights” and the band introductions.
Such Great Heights (final):
Mates Of State:
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