Last night (Sept. 13) Chris Walla, longtime guitarist and founding member of Death Cab For Cutie played his final show with the band.
A YouTube video (see below) of the band performing the closing song "Marching Bands Of Manhattan" from 2005's Plans at the Rifflandia Festival in Victoria, British Columbia has surfaced. "Thank you so much for the last 17 years Chris," vocalist Ben Gibbard said before the group launched into the tune. Walla was visibly emotional after the song, and he offered a choked "thanks" before sharing an embrace with the rest of the band.
The lead guitarist has worked on every Death Cab For Cutie release since 1998, and his final recordings with the band, the untitled follow-up to 2011's Codes And Keys, will be released in 2015. Last August, Walla announced his plans to leave the band. "I will miss being a quarter of this band and will support whatever course Death Cab for Cutie chooses from here," Walla wrote in a statement. "I am profoundly grateful to Ben, Nick and Jason for the experiences that define my adult life. Truly grateful, beyond words. Thank you."
In a combined statement, remaining members Gibbard, Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr addressed the departure. "We've had an incredible 17 years of making music with Chris and are very proud of what we've accomplished together, including our eighth studio album, which we have just put the finishing touches on," they stated last month. "We will miss Chris and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career. We're excited about sharing new music, and seeing all of you very soon."
According to Rolling Stone, Walla plans to continue making music.
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