Heading into Lollapalooza last weekend, electropop super group The Postal Service's Saturday performance was already among the fest's most anticipated sets. And then this tweet went out:
Hey Chicago, these @PostalService shows at Lollapalooza and Metro will be our very last. Please come celebrate with us!
— Benjamin Gibbard (@Gibbstack) August 3, 2013
Indeed, Gibbard, Jimmy Tamberello and Jenny Lewis appear to be hanging it up after their Chicago performances. And, just as expected, they went out with a bang.
As HuffPost's Kim Bellware noted, the group's Saturday evening performance included the entirety of their stunning lone album, 2003's "Give Up," plus an array of B-sides, rarities and a Beat Happening cover ("Our Secret").
In the decade since fans clung to songs like "District Sleeps Alone Tonight" and "Such Great Heights," not much has changed in the band's sound: Gibbard's voice is still so earnest it almost feels embarrassing at times, Jenny Lewis sounds dreamy and distant and the rest of the synth and drums still snap to make feet move as hearts break. The massive crowd (which was still dwarfed by that of Mumford & Sons) sang and swooned, giving a rare feeling of intimacy in a space so massive.
The next evening, at a long-since sold-out official after show at The Metro, the end had come. The show was broadcast live online (and on, you know, the radio) via Chicago radio station WXRT for those unable to nab tickets.
How'd they end their last ever live set? The only way they could: A chill-inducing, singalong-inspiring "Such Great Heights," of course:
As Gibbard put it Sunday: "The Postal Service is closed."
Photos by Justin Barbin unless otherwise noted.