decemberists roll call.

well i should start this by saying i wasnt a huge decemberists fan and passed up on seeing them A LOT of times. but when i was offered a free ticket last night, there was no way in hell i was saying no. besides it was a benefit show, and i figured id better not let the ticket go to waste. but man, i think i was converted last night.

they didnt have the orchestra, and i can only imagine a show in the middle of central park with an orchestra, but it was a really great show.

the highlights for me were: o valencia. ive always loved that song, and i think hearing him talk about the song and it referencing sf, was just a slice of home for me. july july which was the opener really started the night perfectly. colin mentioned how he was going to make it a very special summer show with lots of summery songs.

chimbly sweet was beyond awesome - esp when he put the band to sleep, and then the crowd. starting on the left side of him he worked the crowd getting everyone to lie/sit down. at one point it was deathly silent, with everyone sitting/lying down - before the music crescendos and the place came back alive working into a frenzy.

and last but not least - the mariner's revenge song. what a way to end the show.

the show had to end at 10pm - and because colin had done great work on racing through songs, by 9:30 he was told that he could keep on playing. about 9:50 he started into the mariner's revenge and my friend commented - 'oh man this song is 10 mins long'. :D

heres the setlist from last night:
1. July, July
2. Billy Liar
3. Summersong
4. The Perfect Crime #2
5. The Sporting Life
6. From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea)
7. The Engine Driver
8. The Crane Wife 3
9. The Island: Come & See / The Landlordâ??s Daughter / Youâ??ll Not Feel the Drowning
10. O Valencia!
11. Sons and Daughters
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12. Red Right Ankle
13. Oceanside
14. Chimbly Sweep
15. The Marinerâ??s Revenge Song

Wow, that's a great set list, xneverwherex! A lot of old favorites there. They haven't played "July, July", "Red Right Ankle", and "Chimbly Sweep" nearly enough on recent tours, IMHO. I love those songs. Where was this show?

red right ankle is up there in my favorite songs of recent years. for sure. it gets me every time.

Originally posted by Darth Ed:

Originally posted by Reod Dai:
They played it at the Strathmore, then?

Yes, one of the better renditions I've seen, I think. Not trying to rub it in, but the Strathmore was a really good show. I especially enjoyed the apropos, impromptu performance of R.E.M.'s "(Don't) Go Back to Rockville" that night.

Man, I would have enjoyed that cover. They did The Eagles' "Take It To The Limit" in Philly last fall, with the folks from Lavender Diamond, which was pretty cool. I don't regret seeing them at Messiah instead of the Strathmore, though. How often do you get to see them play in the auditorium of a tiny college in the middle of nowhere anymore these days? We did a special Battle of Gettysburg reenactment towards the end of the show. :)

As for "Mariner's Revenge", I remember their rendition at the Sonar being pretty amazing, what with Chris Funk biting various folks on stage with giant, spongy whale jaws and all. It was decent the other night, too, although I wish I hadn't been up on the lawn for it. The first half of the show was a good time to be down front, though.

Originally posted by Darth Ed:
Wow, that's a great set list, xneverwherex! A lot of old favorites there. They haven't played "July, July", "Red Right Ankle", and "Chimbly Sweep" nearly enough on recent tours, IMHO. I love those songs. Where was this show?

yeah im hearing it was a really get setlist. this was the summerstage show in central park with grizzly bear and land of talk. i loved chimbly sweep and july, july was a great way to start the show. they made a fan out of me :)

and heres an interesting note: the guys who did their sound on this show, were the same sound guys they first worked with in NYC at mercury lounge. i thought it sounded awesome!