The Postal Service Free Press Summer Fest June 1, 2013

Back in 2003, a magical group of musicians came together to create a standalone project. Their little experiment became Give Up, one of the most beloved indie records ever. They never toured this record, but its fanbase continued to grow.

Ever since, the public has been waiting for Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis to perform their little "side project," and finally, ten years later, The Postal Service has brought Give Up to the live stage. As the audience at Saturday night's FPSF can attest, the show was well worth the wait.

The Postal Service showed Houston that their music sounds as thriving and current as it did a decade ago, and fans were enraptured with the performance from the very beginning. The soft and sweet collage of vocals, xylophone, and effects colliding with harder-hitting drums and Moog-y production elicited a demanding emotional reaction from the crowd. From the moment they opened their set with "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight," everyone was chanting along with every word.

So who are The Postal Service?

You know the members of this band because you've met them before. Not through Death Cab for Cutie, Dntel, or Rilo Kiley, or even Troop Beverly Hills. You know them because you grew up with them. They went to your high school. They were the coolest and smartest people you knew. They were approachable and sexy and nerdy all at once. They were good at art and music and they were clever. They were just better at stuff than everyone else. And they still are.

Gibbard is like the Where's Waldo of musicians. If you looked away for even a moment and looked back up, he was in a completely different place on the stage, playing a different instrument than the moment before. If you blinked again, he was on the drums. Again, he had a guitar.