Where does knocking small animals off the stage you’re playing on rank in the world of rock?

The near-capacity crowd at Les Schwab Amphitheater on Thursday night found out when Death Cab For Cutie knocked a bird’s nest from the rafters of the stage early in their set, sometime during the thumping riffs of “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive.”

“Are you guys OK? Did I hear something about a bird’s nest falling on you? That’s … weird, right? We straight rocked a bird’s nest off the stage,” DCFC frontman Ben Gibbard said at the end of the song. “In the grand scheme of rocking, that’s like a four on a scale of 10, though.”

That, of course, may not be entirely accurate. Birds aside, everyone at the amphitheater seemed sufficiently rocked by the time Gibbard and the rest of the band — longtime bassist Nick Harmer and drummer Jason McGerr, along with new touring members Zac Rae on keyboards and Bend native Dave Depper on guitar — hit the stage for a generous four-song encore to close out its third headlining appearance (and fifth overall) at the venue. Before that, the crowd got a taste of every phase of the band’s career, from 1998 debut “Something About Airplanes” to this year’s “Kintsugi,” the band’s first album of new material in four years.

Depper and Rae made their presence known right from the start on set opener “No Room in Frame.” While the departure of original guitarist Chris Walla might still sting for some longtime fans, the broadened instrumental palette shed new light on older songs such as “Photobooth” early in the set, with Depper providing atmospheric flourishes on a second keyboard.

New song “Black Sun,” the first single from “Kintsugi,” was an early highlight, with heavy bass swells underpinning Gibbard’s punchy vocals and swirling guitar arpeggios. The aforementioned “Ghosts of Beverly Drive” and “You’ve Haunted Me All My Life” also fared well, receiving knowing cheers from the crowd.

There were quieter moments, including the band’s two best-known songs — a solo Gibbard playing, “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” and the acoustic-driven, “Soul Meets Body,” near the end of the set. But the band was at its best on the slow-burning jams. “I Will Possess Your Heart,” which ended the main set, built off Harmer’s insistent bass line as Gibbard switched from guitar to piano and back again. Encore closer “Transatlanticism,” off the 2003 album of the same name, likewise provided another opportunity for the band to stretch its instrumental muscles.

The evening was a Northwest affair, with Boise, Idaho, guitar slingers Built to Spill taking the opening slot.

Many in the audience (this reviewer included) hoped for a longer set from the band, considering its long history, discography and influence on countless indie-rock bands (including the headliners). The band was given only the standard opening set — 45 minutes — prompting cheers for an encore followed by disappointed groans.

The band made the best of its short playing time, packing in three songs from this year’s “Untethered Moon,” the band’s first album since 2009, along with highlights from earlier records. Guitarist and band leader Doug Martsch led the attack, undulating to the music and words as if they were a fishing line strung through his body, while fellow guitarists Jim Roth and Brett Netson created massive walls of sound on such highlights as set opener “Traces” and “I Would Never Hurt a Fly.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7814, bmcelhiney@bendbulletin.com