BERKELEY, Calif. — Ten years ago, The Postal Service celebrated a decade of its sole and seminal 2003 album, Give Up, with a reunion tour. The group performed at the Greek Theatre and filmed a documentary that same day, Everything Will Change. Look closely at the concert footage and you’ll spot a familiar face in the front row… this writer in her teens.

Back then, Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” were the rage. Radio hits were all about beat drops, saxophone solos and turning down for “what.” The zeitgeist could be defined by the word “swag.” And yet, hordes of teens to 20-somethings found themselves at the Greek to hear an album by a band that came and left as quickly as 2003 flew by. Hearing those songs in person was as much of a cultural reset as it was when they debuted. Not a dry eye in sight and no one could say for sure if it would happen again.

Fast forward to 2023 and several cultural resets later: Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello and Jenny Lewis returned to the Greek on Monday to kick off three sold-out nights honoring Give Up once more. Gibbard played double duty with Death Cab for Cutie to perform Transatlanticism, which also hit its second decade milestone this year. And even though everything has changed, the anniversary shows proved how these landmarks of the early aughts still held relevant and true after all this time.

The Postal Service took the stage to an orchestral buildup and beams of light, looking sharp in all-white outfits. Tamborello stood at a command center of synths and drum pads, playing the familiar first notes of “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight.” Lewis and Death Cab For Cutie’s Dave Depper took to their guitars and keys. Gibbard headed centerstage with a mic in hand. The crowd went into a frenzy.

Gibbard busted out some dance moves while Lewis provided heaven-sent backup vocals. Everything fell into place as the group dove into the tracklist front-to-back—as opposed to playing it out of order as they did on their 2013 reunion tour.

Every song was a fan favorite in its own way. Of course, the band’s breakthrough hit, “Such Great Heights,” caused a lot of commotion. You could say the same for “Nothing Better,” which featured a surprise appearance by Jen Wood, who originally sang on the studio recording. Gibbard’s and Wood’s back-and-forth vocals were met with a massive crowd singalong.

Intertwined in the rich, blissful textures of Tamborello’s synths, Gibbard sang lyrics lush with imagery and clever commentary on the state of the world as we still know it. The declarations of love in “Clark Gable,” “Brand New Colony ” and “Natural Anthem” were still of their own league.

Additionally, the climate-conscious “Sleeping In” and the social-distance-esque references in “Recycled Air” and “We Will Become Silhouettes” resonated for obvious reasons.

The band didn’t come empty handed when it came to switching things up, either. On some songs, Gibbard moved from his position centerstage to a drum set and turned in some hard-hitting solos. Tamborello also threw in some extended, glitchy interludes and outros.

The banter was light throughout the set, but Gibbard took some time to show the Bay Area some love before the closing songs.

“The Bay Area has always been so receptive to us,” he said. “[The Greek] is a place we have always looked forward to playing and I’m not fucking around about that.”

For the encore, Gibbard and Lewis performed Iron and Wine’s acoustic rendition of “Such Great Heights,” before Tamborello and Death Cab for Cutie joined onstage for a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence.”

Death Cab for Cutie fronted the double bill earlier in the night.

Though the Seattle band sported a different lineup from its Transatlanticism days, Gibbard, guitarist Dave Depper, bassist Nick Harmer, keyboardist Zac Rae and drummer Jason McGerr delivered the evocative sounds that shaped this record into an indie rock monument.

What better way to mark the start of something pivotal than with the explosive riffs of “The New Year,” followed by reflective rhythms that retreat into melancholia.

Transatlanticism captured the pain points of love in a way that you never really get over. As Gibbard unraveled grainy flashbacks of complacency, long distance and coming to terms with a crumbling relationship—you couldn’t help but get misty-eyed.

A light drizzle started at the height of “Tiny Vessels.” Though an unexpected guest, the rain fit the broody mood just right.

The slow-burning, eight-minute title track had Gibbard serenading attendees as the band broke into an ultimate crescendo at the song’s homestretch. It was a climactic sight and sound to behold, only to fade into the tender aches of “Passenger Seat.”

“Death of an Interior Decorator” and “We Looked Like Giants” picked up the pace again; McGerr’s drumming and rhythms from Depper, Harmon and Rae sounded larger than life, fit for a penultimate hurrah.

Gibbard dedicated the latter cut to openers The Beths, declaring their song “Jump Rope Gazers” as the greatest love song of all time.

And finally, a hushed “A Lack of Color” felt like the red thread theory working its magic, tying fans back to that bittersweet ennui they love.

The members of Auckland quartet The Beths lined up along the edge of the stage and opened with a set full of surf-pop and ’90s alt-rock. Matching the beachy vibe, a giant sculpture of a fish head loomed behind the band.

“It’s really nice to be in a place of education,” lead singer Elizabeth Stokes said of UC Berkeley, with a smile. The members introduced themselves as part-time Internet bloggers before going into the real introductions.

The Beths ripped through its riffs on “Future Hates Me” and “Watching The Credits,” giving off vibes that felt like a coming-of-age soundtrack. They threw a curveball with “Jump Rope Gazers,” which ended with a sludgy breakdown that transitioned into “Silence is Golden” and “Expert in a Dying Field.”

Follow Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe.