You're turning black tables, and you're making your head whirl.
It's roughly 8:30 PM, approximately thirty minutes before the opening band takes the stage (Other Lives), an amazing band in their own right. While this review should devote most of its time toward the main act, as far as opening bands go, this might be my favorite of all time—such a great presence and great sound. Meanwhile, as I wait for my dad to show up to the theatre, I'm bobbing back and forth from the crowded concert hall to the lobby looking out toward the street entrance. The opening band starts at about , and my dad shows up at around 9:30, just after they play their best song (Black Tables) which, although great on the record, is even more powerful live. Listen to it on their myspace.
You'll learn soon enough, the prettiest whistles won't wrestle the thistles undone.
One by one, each band member slowly makes their way onto the stage, first Jenny (playing "Prelude"), and as the song goes Chris, John, Nate, and Colin (each to their own applause). The intro song ends, and softly Colin's guitar enters to a roar from the crowd, his voice loudly taking control of the hall. Of course, most of us in the room had heard the album all the way through, probably multiple times that day even. But nothing on a CD could prepare me for how it would be presented live, for whatever sound cannot tell was told this night. Every bass note, every rough chord, every plucked string, every key, every cymbal crash, every second of lyric blew me away.
I think what took me by the most surprise, although I had seen her live before, was Shara Worden's stage presence. It's hard to appreciate what amazing talent she possesses just from listening to the record. But on stage, to witness what power she commands was such an incredible experience, one I will never forget. It's just something I cannot quite explain, but suffice it to say that nothing can really compare to it. When she came out from the back of the stage to sing for her first song (The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid) her sheer power overtook me. Honestly, Colin sings in a way that can put himself into any role, he does this very well. He plays William, and the Rake, and whatever other male character is on the album, so this ability comes in very handy. But Shara was the Queen when she was on stage. Her power to become that role was an amazing feat. And furthermore, its incredible all the more to see where her voice comes from, when from the sight, it doesn't seem like she could possibly have that good of a voice, it just amazes me. And just as she ends the song, she fades back to her regular spot in the back by John (drums), and picks up an acoustic guitar and plays (An Interlude), which is possible the most beautiful chord picking I've heard before.
I could go on about each and every song from the album, but I've already said my words on that (see my review of Hazards of Love). And besides, the best of the night is yet to come.
And the water rolls down the drain, the blood rolls down the drain.
O, what a lonely thing in a blood red drain.
To much of my amazement, they played a very long second set after nearly an hour of straight music. Granted, they took a break between, but still, it was surprising. Also, they played a pretty wide range from their repertoire, starting with "Sporting Life" and "July, July!" And to a fanfare, they broke into "We Both Go Down Together." By about this time, I felt the most enjoyment thus far. I felt that my foresight of possible disappointment crushed, that they could still fulfill my needs for old material even after such a dedication to the newest of their work. Next they played a cover of a song I hadn't heard before, a country song named "If I Could Only Win Your Love," a duet with Colin and Becky Stark (who voices Margaret in Hazards), quickly followed by their own duet in "Yankee Bayonet," with Shara. I felt very proud of myself for guessing Colin's next song (although I cheated by listening to many live performances of his) prefaced by his calling it "the worst song he ever wrote" to which I easily thought of "Dracula's Daughter" (which was a fore-version of a song that would eventually become "O Valencia!"). It then lead into Valencia, which I also guessed (out loud) would follow to my friends nearby. They ended the set in Decemberists fashion, and I mean that in every sense.
(I also guessed this would be the song played prior to them playing it.) Colin does this usually, as well, when introducing this song, calling it an autobiographical song (at this point I say to my friend "i'll bet you my life that it's Chimbley Sweep, which it was). And when the normal solo section came, I said to the same friend, "here comes 10 minutes of solos." I was about right. But, I was not right in how it would be presented. Roughly a minute or two in, Colin heads back to John behind the drum set, and proceeds to give him his guitar, and then takes his spot at the set. Meanwhile, Chris and Nate switch instruments, leaving Jenny alone on her original instrument, and much to Chris's dismay, it would stay that way. For the next four minutes, hilarity ensued. John sings a song that I couldn't understand, but it consisted of very high, shrill vocals, which made me crack up. At one point, he wants to return to the song they were playing, and he says this aloud, but (as he also says) he didn't know this words to the song, and asks Jenny what the words are. And although I didn't get to enjoy the true ending to the song, I was so happy to see Colin wildly (and childlike) playing the drums at the closing of the song, and then go on to tossing John's sticks into the crowd. The latter half of the solo and song can be seen here.
Colin then simply stated, "I don't know how to follow that." He also said that he wasn't to be blamed when something like that happens, which was hilarious. In his attempt to follow it, they played their regular set ending "Sons & Daughters" employing the crowd to chant "hear all the bombs fade away."
Remember what she does when you're asleep.
After much applause, they returned to play more songs. And it hit me that it would first be "Raincoat Song" when it was just Colin and John on stage (John does the back-up vocals for most of their songs), and indeed it was. Colin then prefaced that the next song would be their last, but that was an understatement to say the least. One would imagine that after how they ended their second set, they wouldn't have the energy for another amazing outro. But they did.
I knew it was going to be "A Cautionary Song" when he said the song would be a lesson. Any true fan knows this right away. But little did I know it would actually include an extra lesson apart from the one in the song itself. My first tip-off that something wasn't "regular" was when the drums kicked in, John (drummer) wasn't on stage, but wandering about in the crowd, followed by Chris, Becky Stark, and Shara Worden.
And then Colin changed everything that I believed about Decemberists concerts, that there were rules. Now there aren't any rules. He brought our attention once more to the band members in the crowd, labeling them the "Decemberists Family Players" and continued to present to all of us a story entitled: A Voyage on the Oregon Trail, to which each player was given a role. I have a video in full of the entire experience up on youtube, so I won't go into much detail. Suffice it to say that the story included two parties competing to make it to the pacific, audience members on my side of the theatre were cast as mountains, those on the farther side were cast as the Columbia river, and some in between were cast as marauding desert gypsies on camel back, who then raided the pioneers.
All I can say is that the night compared to none other of my life prior, and I doubt it will be beat by anything yet to come. For almost four hours, my life was changed forever.
-The Decemberists live at the historical McDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR, on the 21st of May, 2009. Opening band: Other Lives.
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