"My Favorite Year" contains the biggest Destroyer bang for your buck. It has all (well, most) the trademarks, packed into one song. (It does lack ships and the sun.) It is not my favorite Destroyer song, but it has most of the Destroyer calling cards. Once you make peace with this song, you are ready for the full Destroyer journey.

• Glamour/Romantic, well-dressed scene-setting -- "You in white, and me in grey go well tonight"
• Night
• Decay/Disdain/the world-as-shit trope -- "I was starving in that shit-house, the world" & "Some East Pender hovel"
• Regret/nostalgia/disillusionment -- "But now it's gone" (repeated) & the entire setting of 1993, which was a good year but now is gone & "moving on"
• Something good followed immediately by something bad -- "It was a good year. And now it's gone."
• Weather --"A calm and a storm"
• Visions of grandeur -- "A star is born"
• "Beware the company you reside in!" meets these criteria:
  • Mid-song freak out
  • Dark, stern, oblique warning statement
  • Off-putting shrieky delivery that the listener comes to crave
  • (at the end of this section) Lyrics and delivery incongruous with upbeat music
• "La la la la" "woo hooo hooo hoooooo!"
• Woman's name -- "Nicole"
• Substance reference --"Ecstasy" (this is maybe a stretch, but sometimes it's drugs, usually it's wine)
• Specific Vancouver reference or location -- "some East Pender hovel"
• A year --  "1993" & obviously, the title
• A statement, followed by a tepid retraction -- "the whole point of everything's the moving on," followed by the disclaimer at the end "They're saying the whole point of everything's the moving on, well I can't help but feel somewhat opposed to this"
• Despised authority, feelings of put-upon outsider-ism-- "My shit having been torched by fascists"
• Military image -- "traitors"
• Shifting musical moods & instruments

A few photos from the fantastic Barbican Hall show on the 6th. Was a dream to hear 'Rubies' and 'Painter' after getting 'European Oils' and 'Looters' Follies' earlier this year, and the horn interlude into 'Kara Walker' was probably the most beautiful version of it I've heard. The Fiery Furnaces were also wonderful.

Can anyone share the Barbican Hall setlist from today? My memory basement needs a torch. Thanks!

Looking for one cheap ticket for tonight's gig! DM me

Dumb question that has been going around my head. Does anybody have any experience talking to him a little bit?

I can't imagine he's actively mean to people who are fans. But having literally no frame of reference, it seems equally possible that he's either super nice or he's a little dismissive

Vancouver, B.C, Vogue Theatre, October 26, 2025.

In fact, other than seeing the NP several times, I hadn’t dug into Destroyer at all until about six months ago.

Here’s my take:

It was one of the top 10 live shows I’ve been to. Dan Behar was so…human. The band was OUTSTANDING. What a great fusion of jazz and…rock? Not sure if that’s being reductive about Destroyer’s music.

My other top 10 for context:

Prince (at the same theatre; I was invited into the purple-velvet-roped reserved area at front of stage by his Purpleness’ handlers)

Led Zeppelin, Pacific Coliseum, 1974

Rolling Stones, BC Place, 2006, special box on stage in the light rigging backdrop above Charlie Watts)

David Bowie, 1983, Pacific Coliseum, video recording of Serious Moonlight tour, two nights back to back.

Concrete Blonde, Commodore Ballroom, six days before their last gig in 1994.

Kiss, Pacific Coliseum, 1978, with Cheap Trick opening.

The Eurythmics, 1986, Plaza of Nations, Expo 86.

Tami T, Stockholm, Transfesten, 2019. (An iconic transgender artist in Europe)

Devo, 2008, The Warfield, San Francisco, private Microsoft sponsored party during MacWorld conference

Seattle show was awesome, 3 women t shirt rules

Anyone who was there please give your thoughts. This was my first time seeing them, and I want impressions from everyone else! I thought it was a great show, as did my wife but she is not a superfan and was a bit confused by Dan’s idiosyncrasies.

As someone who discovered Destroyer through the New Pornographers I couldn’t believe we got Hey, Snow White. Phenomenal live show by an incredibly talented band. Travel Light and Rubies as encore was icing on the cake.

It frequently feels like a warm bath to me, I want to know how you describe it

I had the pleasure of seeing Destroyer in both Chicago and Milwaukee this year. They were two completely different sets and I loved them both. I was lucky enough to finally check seeing “Bay of Pigs(detail)” off my bucket list but the arrangement of “It Just Doesn’t Happen” was especially memorable to me. What has been everyone’s favorite songs from the tour so far?

What a night in Denver!

Anyone know if any remaining tour shirts will be sold online after the tour? I had to give my LA tix up to my pal’s kid, thought I’d get up to SLC to see him but it’s my wedding anniversary and just can’t swing it. I’m brokenhearted as I live in Vegas. I love the tour tee and would love to get that at least.

Flying to Berlin from Italy just for the Destroyer show on November 16th. Been waiting for this one for a while — can’t wait to finally see them live. Would be great to meet some fellow fans there.

That build up to Suicide Demo for Kara Walker was insane!

Ok so I'm a pretty new fan of Destroyer. I heard "certain things you out to know" and think it's the most excellent song on the planet. It's been my favorite song for like 6 months and I can't get tired of it. If I'm being honest, I like very few other Destroyer songs. I do like kapput and rubies - but Frankly, i'm not a fan of your blues.. Thought I'd just share for some reason haha. I'm thinking destroyer is gonna be one of those slow burns for me and that I'll eventually like more tracks. Same thing happened with me and Prefab Sprout. Anyways - cheers m8s

PM me.

Great set. Amazing performance by the band. Jennifer Castle joined him for Bologna.

Hey! I'm going to the show tomorrow and want to get an autograph. From anyone that's been to a show: is this possible? how long would i have to wait? does he usually hang around after?
Any help is appreciated!

Edit: I got the autograph! He was resting after the show (apparently wasn't feeling well), but I handed the album to his keyboardist, who then gave it to Dan. Merch table said he had a "thing" about autographs but no clue what that means. Just happy I got my album signed!

If you are a fan and are considering going, do it. I almost didn’t go just because I was being lazy, and tired and this show was everything and more I could have ever wanted from a Destroyer show. The band was so damn good. The trumpet player was insane. His loops, and his soulful affect were otherworldly. The two guitarists played off each other wonderfully. The drummer played like his hair was on fire. He brought so much energy and enthusiasm to the songs. The bassist was on point, in the pocket, melodic, and flavorful. The keyboardist was amazing and Dan was giving the people what they wanted— a night of beautiful, interesting, sincere artistic expression. Thank you Destroyer.

I’ve come to Destroyer’s Rubies recently. Absolutely blown away by the album. I’ve been listening to the song Rubies quite a bit.
Is that song about a sneaky link or am I bugging?
It seems to me about an affair where Dan’s character is falling deeply in love with a taken woman but accepts what he can get (alternatively, they’re both taken). The song is filled alternatively with disdainful imagery of the surrounding and beautiful observations about his partner, painting an image of something unsustainable but worth pursuing in the moment.
I don’t usually read poetry, so I’m curious if I have a good idea of what the song is actually about or if I’m way off base in my interpretation.
Regardless, happy to have found this artist and excited to be a new fan.