The Decemberists

Did anyone go last night? Please report.

I'm going tonight. Anyone else?

NPR webcast tonight:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6382494

Went last night and was beginning to wonder if they had jumped the Chimbly or something seeing as there was no roll calls or late night show reviews.

Most of the setlist was from the new record… While the new songs are good, they aren't nearly as fun as the early stuff. The 70s rock influences are quite obvious… i.e. Pink Floyd, the Byrds. Seems a bit silly for a band reaching the level the Decemberists having to tour to sell a new record. At $25 a ticket one would expect the audience is already on board and out buying the new one. Mixed it up a little…

I can also recommend arriving late in order to avoid Lavender Diamond, she's is either a performance artist, unemployed actress, or a bored kindergarten teacher. Singing out of tune, with accentuating hand gestures, ballerina moves, and wearing a cocktail dress may be "precious" when done as a child but very annoying when done by an adult.

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
Most of the setlist was from the new record… While the new songs are good, they aren't nearly as fun as the early stuff. The 70s rock influences are quite obvious… i.e. Pink Floyd, the Byrds.

There was some Styx and Kansas in there as well…

Seems a bit silly for a band reaching the level the Decemberists having to tour to sell a new record. At $25 a ticket one would expect the audience is already on board and out buying the new one.

To me, it's less that they're trying to sell the new album and more that they've done SO much touring, it must be great to play the new material. I've seen them every time they've come through town (and a couple times in other cities, just 'cuz I was there for something else), and I was really glad to hear the new stuff with a few favorites from earlier albums thrown in. I, in fact, was dreading that whale song, and was happy it wasn't on the set list.

I can also recommend arriving late in order to avoid Lavender Diamond, she's is either a performance artist, unemployed actress, or a bored kindergarten teacher.

I came in for her last two songs, but was out in the foyer trying to buy tickets for other shows. It didn't sound good to me, but she got really loud applause & cheering when she finished. Maybe that's just a function of the place being nearly full by the time her set was over.

I enjoyed the show very much. Just a few minutes shy of two hours, they give it.

Outstanding show! I don't have the set list (someone else have it here?) but from what I recall it leaned heavily from The Crane Wife and Picturesque. There was a good amount of playing to the crowd, singalongs, musicians parading into the middle of the crowd and doing handstands… I wish I could go tonight too but I will be content listing to it at home while I carve my pumpkin.

BTW, I hope the owner of "the camera" is on here and posts some of the photes Colin took.

It was a good show. I enjoyed the new material. Especially the Crane Wife. Personally, I thought it was a little too "audience participatory". So much damn clapping! But, it was nice to see everyone into the show.

My cousin is the drummer, so I was a proud family member last night!

I enjoyed the show very much, good hearing the new material live as well as some of the older songs. I like Crane Wife more than some people here. Didn't expect them to play as long as they did, but was a pleasant surprise.

As far as Lavender Diamond, I agree with Kosmo. I liked maybe one or two songs, but her between song banter really became annoying.

The setlist is below, sans the "Cut 'Em Up Boy" song that I don't know. I thought it was a good show, all in all. They always perform well, and sound tight.

I managed to snag a few photos. You'll have to excuse the heavy concentration on Colin, he was pretty much the only one I could see well with decent light.

- The Crane Wife 3
- The Island-Come & See/The Landlordâ??s Daughter/Youâ??ll Not Feel The Drowning
- We Both Go Down Together
- Engine Driver
- Yankee Bayonette
- The Perfect Crime #2
- Divide and Conquer (Husker Du) (the island version)
- The Shankhill Butchers
- Mila Goldberg (the slow and steady remix)
- O Valencia
- July, July!
- 16 x 32
- The Crane Wife 1 & 2
- Sons & Daughters

Encore break

- "you better cut 'em up boy"??
- Legionaire
- A Cautionary Song

Originally posted by Bags:
To me, it's less that they're trying to sell the new album and more that they've done SO much touring, it must be great to play the new material. I've seen them every time they've come through town (and a couple times in other cities, just 'cuz I was there for something else), and I was really glad to hear the new stuff with a few favorites from earlier albums thrown in. I, in fact, was dreading that whale song, and was happy it wasn't on the set list.

That's certainly my take on it as well. This will be my fifth Decemberists show (and seventh show featuring Colin Meloy) in 2.5 years, and I think I've heard "Apology Song" in concert more than enough times already. I'm excited for the new songs.

I'm going tonight and looking forward to hearing the new songs live. I agree with Bags that the absence of the Mariners Revenge is a good thing.

Thanks for the tip on Lavender Diamond.

Tonight's show will be on npr's all songs considered.

at least you guys got Legionaire

That was my first time seeing them…I love when bands end up being ALOT more fun than you expected going in.

I just realized that Culling of the Fold was the song I couldn't remember in the setlist I posted above. Great track though.

Apparently there was a scheduling mix-up at the club tonight. I had tickets to see the Decemberists, but stumbled onto what appeared to be some sort of reunion of the high school drama club.

I thought pdx pollard was being unnecessarily harsh, but I now agree with him. I haven't seen that much fey theatrical pretension since my days at an all-male boarding school when the student theatre troupe tried to pull off a musical version of Arsenic and Old Lace for Winterfest.

I was really enjoying tonight's show (loved the new songs) right up until the encore, the songs of which I felt were poorly selected. I did not find "I Was Meant for the Stage" to be at all a satisfying conclusion to a Decemberists concert. The whole encore was kind of a downer really. I mean I love Colin's solo version of "Red Right Ankle", but something more upbeat to end the show would have been preferable. "July, July!" would have been perfect, I think. I'm now wishing I had either gone to both Decemeberists shows or had gone to Sunday night's show instead. I think Sunday's set list was better.

The audience was really low energy for a Decemberists show. Not sure if it was because it's a Monday or because of the set list or some combination of both.

I really loved the Asian stage decoration, lighting, and backdrop. Very cool and appropos "The Crane Wife."

Curiously, they were not selling El Jefe's poster at tonight's show. Did they sell them at Sunday night's show?

Originally posted by Darth Ed:
The audience was really low energy for a Decemberists show. Not sure if it was because it's a Monday or because of the set list or some combination of both.

Markie wasn't there.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I thought pdx pollard was being unnecessarily harsh, but I now agree with him. I haven't seen that much fey theatrical pretension since my days at an all-male boarding school when the student theatre troupe tried to pull off a musical version of Arsenic and Old Lace for Winterfest.

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similar vibe?

sounds like i would have loved the encore though … i've seen them end with a solo "red right ankle" and "i was meant for the stage" a couple of times and it was a perfect coda for me

i'm hoping i get back into these guys at some point, they were one of my favorite bands a few years back

Originally posted by Darth Ed:

The audience was really low energy for a Decemberists show. Not sure if it was because it's a Monday or because of the set list or some combination of both.

It was the same thing on Sunday. Kind of a bummer really, as Decemberists shows are much more enjoyable when the crowd is into it for the entirity.

I caught a little of NPR's stream of the show, and it sounded good. Of course, I lucked out in hitting a good stride of songs. Anyone know is NPR is allowing a download?

Originally posted by nkotb:
I caught a little of NPR's stream of the show, and it sounded good. Of course, I lucked out in hitting a good stride of songs. Anyone know is NPR is allowing a download?

They almost always do, and are this time too. Unforunately, their streams are usually pretty low bitrate. Their audio engineer mentioned theirs being 92K for Wilco, whereas Wilco's was 160.

Hopefully, they'll be able to track them out too, rather than have the audio as one track. I talked to their audio engineer at Wilco and he thought it might be a possibility in the future.