On a warm September evening at the Santa Barbara Bowl, 4,000 loyal fans joined together for what turned out to be a magical, once-in-a-lifetime show. The Death Cab for Cutie performance will undoubtedly turn up on Top Ten Lists, but there was also the beauty of the amphitheatre, the enticing concessions, and friendly Bowl staff to add the night’s charm.

One, often overlooked piece of a concert is the Bowl’s Merchandise Booth (or Merch Booth as we say around here). It’s where fans huddle — often in a pre- and post-show frenzy — to grab a memento from their favorite band — a t-shirt, a hat, a poster.

That night the gear ranged from t-shirts artfully displaying the Seattle skyline to Raider-esque cat pillowcases to180-gram vinyl, neck-chains, and everything in between.

As the saying goes, the early bird does tend to catch the worm in the live concert merchandise world. Before Best Coast even took the stage, the Limited Edition Death Cab for Cutie Button Sets were completely sold out!

Best Coast gave an epic 90s-esque pop-punk performance: As Bethany sang some less than uplifting lyrics to a fun upbeat rhythm, it was as if we stepped back to 1993 to watch the Cranberries perform “Linger”:

I lost my job, I miss my mom
I wish my cat could talk
Every time you leave this house
Everything falls apart

Meanwhile back at the Merch Booth, t-shirts were flying off the shelf as attendees made a quick purchase on the way to their seats. From inside the booth, you can sense the eagerness of the fans, and it becomes evident how important this show is to them.

As Death Cab took the stage, the plaza emptied. Ben teased the California crowd for their obvious use of medicinal substances, before launching into an upbeat rendition of “Photobooth.” Throughout the set Death Cab kept the energy up and had the crowd swaying to the beat of a recording-like performance of “Black Sun.” They transitioned effortlessly into a somber, emotion-filled version of “What Sarah Said.” As Ben’s fingers switched from strumming the guitar to playing the keys of a baby grand piano, the crowd was transfixed not only by his expert musicianship, but by the talent of the entire band as well.

At one point, Ben launched into a story about his early morning run through the hills of Santa Barbara with band-mate and guitarist, Dave Depper. During the run they came across two deceivingly beautiful pools of water. After they jumped into this water, they realized that it was “bad water. Not quite doo-doo water, but not good.” Perhaps this water was the beginning of their journey as super heroes, he said, encouraging the crowd to leave suggestions at the Merch Booth as to what they should do with their newfound powers because “saving the world seems a bit played out.”

The crowd’s laughter soon subsided into cheers of joy when Ben played a solo arrangement of “Follow You into the Dark.” The energy stayed high through the third encore as they closed out the show with “Transatlanticism”:

The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your door
have been silenced forever more.
The distance is quite simply much to far for me to row
It seems farther than ever before
Oh no.
I need you so much closer

As the last sounds rang out, a sea of fans made their way down the stairs directly to the Merch Booth. The stellar performance had moved the crowd to make one last purchase — or for some devotees a second and third purchase.

Although there were no super hero suggestions given, the Merch Booth was an integral part of this memorable evening.