Colin Meloy Live at The Granada Theater

On Tuesday, here in Dallas, excitement brewed as the troubadour Colin Meloy wandered in for the second show of his solo tour which he recently began in Austin the day prior. Colin has set out on the road this time in support of his new, live, solo album, Colin Meloy Sings!, as well as his latest cover album adventure, Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke.

The opening act was Laura Gibson, who played through a nice set of traditional-styled folk tunes. Her songs were soft and mellow, and her voice clear with a tang. Sadly, some of the attendees of the show were a bit too inebriated and social to pay their attention, but such is the risk one takes with music that doesn't grab attention. Laura is a great artist, but better heard around a campfire with good friends.

Colin was up next. The backstage crew at the Granada had a mix-up with the curtain after the set change, and upon attempting to raise it, the curtain slowly lowered itself... right as Colin stepped on. But Colin turned the show into a comedy as well as a musical, and was a good sport. He even got the full applause from the audience for two introductions! Can't complain, eh?

Colin opened with the daunting 10-minute "California One/Youth And Beauty Brigade," and it was underway. Colin soon thereafter admitted to being ailed by a cold, and on appropriate pronouns throughout the show, he would accidentally forget some of the lyrics. But despite the slight awkwardness for him, the crowd enjoyed themselves and helped him sing along. Even Laura joined Colin for their cover of Sam Cooke's "Cupid." And when Colin wasn't blazing through Decemberist songs, he was chatting up the crowd with amiable eloquence.

The finale was a super-cute song that has been completely unheard til now. "This is a song which I have never played to anyone but my girlfriend." (Side note: Carson Ellis is an amazing artist, and you should definitely check her out.) After he finished, he wandered off stage with his glass of red wine. But as the crowd demanded an encore, he returned with his scratchy voice to take requests. His first encore was "Engine Driver," and the crowd happily hummed and sang along. "Since you're all in a singing mood," Colin says upon finishing, "I'll play a song which relies heavily upon you. And if you don't know the lyrics, follow your neighbour." With that, Colin launched into "The Mariner's Revenge Song" (my personal favourite). The concert evolved from Colin Meloy Sings! into Colin Meloy Sing-Alongs! as the crowd harmonized to the eerie sailor's ballad. And with a few last fast paced lyrics sung out by the crowd, Colin bowed out for the night.

Mr. Meloy may have a cold, but Colin and Laura Gibson's set of US shows has just started. You can go to this previous article for tour dates, or wander over to The Decemberists' Myspace, or Laura Gibson's Myspace. You can also catch two videos right down below.