The House of Blues inside the Showboat might better be dubbed “House of Gloom,” at least on Sunday, as Death Cab for Cutie hits the stage.

The quartet from suburban Seattle is not particularly interested in making anyone feel good with its music. The band’s most recent release, “Narrow Stairs,” is chock-full of dark meditations on hopelessness, alienation and other navel-gazing subjects.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that the Cabsters—whose name is the title of a song (which actually appears in the Beatles’ film, “Magical Mystery Tour”) by 1960s musical jokesters The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band—have found a sizable audience with its repertoire of life-sucks-then-we-die songs. Or maybe nothing at all has changed, and it’s just that today’s teens and twentysomethings naturally gravitate toward such a jaded, nihilist point of view—as the generation before theirs did (see Floyd, Pink).

Showboat, Boardwalk at

ON THE FLIP SIDE: Everything in this world has its opposite. For Death Cab for Cutie, that would probably be Air Supply, which headlines Saturday at Trump Plaza .

The indestructible ‘80s duo (Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell) from Australia’s  credits include such musical Hallmark Cards as “All Out of Love,” “Even the Nights Are Better,” “Making Love Out of Nothing” and “The One That You Love.”

Trump Plaza , Boardwalk at

MEDICAL MILESTONE: For 25 years, the Ronald McDonald House organization has been providing free housing and other support for the families with children suffering from serious—sometimes fatal—conditions.

Saturday at Caesars, Atlantic City , the Ronald McDonald House idea—conceived by former Eagles GM Jim Murray--celebrates its silver anniversary with a black-tie bash.

The dinner’s featured entertainer is Shore-based Chad Juros, whose nom de show biz is Magical Chad. This is far from just another gig for the 20-year-old Juros: He has twice successfully battled cancer in his young life, and he credits learning magic while in the hospital with being a main reason he was able to survive.

The master of ceremonies will be our dear friend, Joe Piscopo, who’ll meet and greet guests and maybe even do a comedy bit or two. For more info about Ronald McDonald House and benefit info, go to  www.ronaldhouse-snj.org.