"Wow," I thought to myself as I was leaving what was undoubtedly the best show I have EVER attended. This was my first time seeing the Decemberists ya see. Unless you have seen them yourself there really isn't anyway to for you to understand what it's like. Rather than try to explain (it would take me hours to articulate everything that went down) I will just leave you a fragmented and scattered list of some of the more exciting moments of the show, some mp3's and grainy cell phone pics and urge, no, beg you to attend a Decemberists show if ever you have the chance.
+ The setlist was amazing and spanned the bands entire discography+ The entire band was genuinely having fun
+ There were dance contests. Three of them actually. Meloy instructed us all to make big circles in each of the three sides of the audience and appoint judges during a 12 minute version of The Perfect Crime.
+ Back to back guitar solos, guitar duels, and other fake but epic battles between Meloy and multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk.
+ David Rawlings and Gillian Welch came out to do a rendition of Look at Miss Ohio with the Decemberists as their backing band including Funk on Slide Guitar, then backed the band up on a few songs+Meloy made us all sit down after he "put the band to sleep" and then woke them up for the encore
+Rawlings and Welch reappeared this time dressed as a giant whale that ate Chris, Colin, and Chris' Banjo and then proceeded to eat us
+They played The Mariner's Revenge much to the elation of the crowd. This included floor tom/sleigh bell banging, some nice mandolin work from Funk, lots of crowd participation (see: giant crowd eating whale) and the realization that Meloy should probable look into being a Broadway actor after The Decemberists are done (may that day never come)In conclusion, I beg of you, PLEASE go see the band if it is at all financially and logistically possible. They're on the road until July, dates for the remainder of the tour are HERE.
There is some youtube video shot a little bit behind me (I was one person back dead center) here. If any of the various authors should be reading, thank you.
3 comments:
And I chose to spend my limited money on Bright Eyes/Gillian Welch tickets at the Ryman rather than go this show...ouch. Hopefully, it won't be too regrettable.
I thought the end of the show was fantastic but I really wish they had engaged the audience a hell of a lot earlier in the night. Getting all of City Hall to sit down on the floor shows they obviously know how to interact with the crowd (they did the same thing when they played Exit/In two years ago and I was even more impressed this time around), which is why I think it's a shame they didn't try to command everyone's attention a bit more during the main part of their set. But the dance competitions and Mariner's Revenge Song were superb.
i went to the first boston show, and they were amazing, and i don't use that word lightly. sounds like they were just as mind-blowing for you as they were for me. easily one of the best shows i've ever seen (i mean, radiohead and beck are pretty tough acts to come close to, but the demceberists do it with such ease).
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