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The Postal Service step back in time with ‘Give Up’ and celebrate 20 years at the Hollywood Bowl

October 11, 2023

In the early aughts, the lyrics “They will see us waving from such great heights, come down now,” sung by frontman Ben Gibbard of The Postal Service on “Such Great Heights,” seemed to permeate every corner of American pop culture. The song was heard in television and film, finding a home in shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The O.C.” and “Veronica Mars,” as well as appearing in commercials for the package delivery giant UPS.

This 2003 hit, a stamp in history for the indie-electropop group, has “crazily enough, stood the test of time for not only us but for all of our fans who’ve stuck around,” Jimmy Tamborello, producer and keyboardist in The Postal Service, said in a recent phone interview as the trio now celebrate the 20th anniversary of their only studio record, “Give Up.”

The Postal Service (Ben Gibbard pictured performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado on Sep. 26) is bringing the 20th-anniversary tour for “Give Up” to the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 13, 15 and 17.
(Photo by Axel Kabundji)

The Postal Service (pictured performing at Germania Insurance Amphitheater, Austin, Texas on Sept. 30) is bringing the 20th-anniversary tour for “Give Up” to the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 13, 15 and 17.
(Photo by Axel Kabundji)

The Postal Service (pictured performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado on Sep. 26) is bringing the 20th-anniversary tour for “Give Up” to the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 13, 15 and 17.
(Photo by Axel Kabundji)

The Postal Service (Jimmy Tamborello of the trio pictured performing at Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado on Sep. 26) is bringing the 20th-anniversary tour for “Give Up” to the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 13, 15 and 17.
(Photo by Axel Kabundji)

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The Postal Service, co-headlining with Death Cab For Cutie at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 13, 15 and 17 for the 20th anniversary of “Give Up” and “Transatlanticism,” is ready to take fans back in time as they play the record in full.

“This tour is all about looking back,” Tamorello said. “And as a band we get to share that with the audience, we’re all kind of recreating that time of our lives together, that’s pretty special.”

The Postal Service came together relatively fast, with Tamborello already crafting his third record “Life Is Full of Possibilities” under the producer alias Dntel. Tamborello comments he found himself drawn to Gibbard’s distinct voice and indie venture Death Cab for Cutie, which at the time was growing a sizable fan base.

Thanks to a few mutual friends, Tomborello reached out to Gibbard to come on board for a track. After sending instrumental and vocal tracks back and forth by snail mail for a period of time, Gibbard agreed to fly out to Silverlake from his homebase in Seattle to create what they thought would be one track. The collaboration flowed so seamlessly that by the time things were done, the only viaible path forward was to form a full-length LP. Soon after, they called Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), who also happened to reside in Los Angeles, to assist with background vocals, and worked on “Give Up” for less than a week in Tomborello’s bedroom.

“The making of (The Postal Service) all seemed so accidental,” Tamborello said. “In the beginning, it was really just us coming together as new friends in our twenties and connecting musically for fun and as it came together, we didn’t know who the music was for because at the time it was a weird new sound. It’s a crazy surprise to see what happened to it. We never imagined it would be what it is today and the fact that it has is honestly crazy.”

In 2003, the trio released the album via Sub Pop Records, gradually rising to platinum status and becoming the second best-selling album in Sub Pop Record’s history, with Nirvana’s ’89 debut record, “Bleach,” securing the top spot. Despite the initial success, The Postal Service embarked on a monthlong tour spanning North America and Europe before quietly shelving the project for nearly a decade. There wasn’t much momentum to keep The Postal Service alive since the trio devoted more attention to their individual projects. And in Tomborello’s eyes, they didn’t need to push any further, since “Give Up” already felt like the biggest achievement they could gift the world.

“You know we really tried early on in 2006 to pass music back and forth again and those tracks actually ended up making it on the deluxe anniversary version of the album but it just didn’t feel the same already,” Tomborello shared. “We all moved on to other interests, we already achieved so much more than we ever expected from it and it never felt like we could do it again. But we were more than OK with that.”

With the 20th anniversary of “Give Up” occurring this year, the band is reunited for a special celebration, embarking on a 30-date tour. The trek also marks the group’s first live appearance since 2013 while making its debut at the Hollywood Bowl for three sold-out nights. For Tomborello, now in his mid-40s, the reunion felt natural once again, as the group prepped for rehearsals ahead of the tours opening night on Sept. 5 in Washington, DC.

For all three, it’s simply like reuniting with best friends while getting to tour North America. Yet what excited Tomborello the most as of now is being able to bring that nostalgia back to a crowd who’s grown alongside them.

“Being able to feel the all-around warmth with the audiences that have been there for a while, from being back with Ben and Jenny traveling together, it just feels like old times,” he said. “We’re all so close so it never felt out of place for us. The album was really sincere and open-hearted and it attracted that for the tour. We’re just happy to be together.”

The Postal Service & Death Cab For Cutie: Give Up and Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour

When: 6 p.m. Oct. 13, 15, 17

Where: The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles

Tickets: $71-$500 at ticketmaster.com.

Orange County Register

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The Postal Service step back in time with ‘Give Up’ and celebrate 20 years at the Hollywood Bowl

The Postal Service & Death Cab For Cutie: Give Up and Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour

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