decemberists in mtl
best concert i have ever attended (tied with brand new). hands down.
first, it was at the metropolis, which the decemberists can not sell out (capacity is 2,300)That meant that there was so crowding or discomfort. enough room for all to not feel claustrophic and just enough room to dance. also, it was the oldest crowd id ever seen at an all-ages show, with most of the people there being over the age of 20.
second, the stage was adorned with orange japanese paper laterns and the background was the cover of the Crane Wide album, a beautiful sketch of a Japanese landscape with a crane flying overhead.
third, i saw nich. it made my day
fourth, in between the opener and the decemberists, the music was from a children's fairy tale, sounding like a children's book on tape.
setlist
Crane Wife 1 (my heart stopped)
July, July
We Both Go Down Together
Engine Driver
Yankee Bayonet
Perfect Crime 2
Here I Dreamt I was an Architect
Crane Wife 2
O Valencia
16 Military Wives
The Island: Come & See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll not Feel the Drowning
Crane Wife 3
Sons and Daughters
Encore
Song cut from the new album
Legionnaire's Lament
A Cautionary Song
Notes:
Colin attempted to show off his french skills, claiming he can say things like apple and ham. He then told us that he was french club president in high-school, though he got to that position by dubious means, apparently bribing the frenchies with jubejubes. he then motioned to lisa, who has a beautiful voice and plays every instrument imaginable, and says that she also speaks french. she then breaks out into flawless francais, which produces cheers from the crowd. colin, to make himself feel better, murmurs, yea, but she wasnt french club president.
During July, July, when the line "her uncle was a crooked french canadian" was sung, the crowd screamed, and it was grand.
Before Perfect Crime 2, someone counted, "do people dance in Portland?" to which Colin answered, "no, not really. do people in montreal dance?" the crowd screams. so colin organizes three dance circles in the crowd for a dance competition during the song. awesome.
before o valencia, colin warns the crowd that those with sensitive sensitivities should maybe leave or visit the salle de bain (cheers at his attempt, because the next song is about murder. o valencia.
during 16 military wives, colin splits the crowd down the centre. a gap is made. la di da di da, di da di da. one side vs the other. louder and louder. colin conducting us. he told us to shake our fists at the other side, leer, and growl. how he turned us into children so willingly, i dont know. perhaps it is because of his utter brilliance and our realization of it, even more so at that moment when we were able to see the band live.
sons and daughters. colin urged the crowd to sing "hear all the bombs fade away" multiple times at the end. we were told to think of the upcoming election in the states.
encore
during the new song, colin grabbed someone's cell phone in the front row who was taking a picture and called someone and sang the rest of the song into the phone, and during lulls he pointed the phone to the audience and we all, appropriately, screamed our fucking faces off
we are told to close our eyes (and he made sure we did) and imagine a soldier in the desert, and he had just drank his last bit of water. breaks out in to legionnaire's lament. the entire first half of the crowd jumping in unison with colin.
a cautionary song, half the band come out into the middle of the crowd amd the song stops. they reenact the founding of montreal, as colin narrated. they grabbed audience members to participate as the redcoats, huguenots, and the natives. the song begins again. and the crowd sings, "remember what she does when your asleep"
most entertaining, heart-warming show.
brilliant.
literary genius.
love.
first, it was at the metropolis, which the decemberists can not sell out (capacity is 2,300)That meant that there was so crowding or discomfort. enough room for all to not feel claustrophic and just enough room to dance. also, it was the oldest crowd id ever seen at an all-ages show, with most of the people there being over the age of 20.
second, the stage was adorned with orange japanese paper laterns and the background was the cover of the Crane Wide album, a beautiful sketch of a Japanese landscape with a crane flying overhead.
third, i saw nich. it made my day
fourth, in between the opener and the decemberists, the music was from a children's fairy tale, sounding like a children's book on tape.
setlist
Crane Wife 1 (my heart stopped)
July, July
We Both Go Down Together
Engine Driver
Yankee Bayonet
Perfect Crime 2
Here I Dreamt I was an Architect
Crane Wife 2
O Valencia
16 Military Wives
The Island: Come & See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll not Feel the Drowning
Crane Wife 3
Sons and Daughters
Encore
Song cut from the new album
Legionnaire's Lament
A Cautionary Song
Notes:
Colin attempted to show off his french skills, claiming he can say things like apple and ham. He then told us that he was french club president in high-school, though he got to that position by dubious means, apparently bribing the frenchies with jubejubes. he then motioned to lisa, who has a beautiful voice and plays every instrument imaginable, and says that she also speaks french. she then breaks out into flawless francais, which produces cheers from the crowd. colin, to make himself feel better, murmurs, yea, but she wasnt french club president.
During July, July, when the line "her uncle was a crooked french canadian" was sung, the crowd screamed, and it was grand.
Before Perfect Crime 2, someone counted, "do people dance in Portland?" to which Colin answered, "no, not really. do people in montreal dance?" the crowd screams. so colin organizes three dance circles in the crowd for a dance competition during the song. awesome.
before o valencia, colin warns the crowd that those with sensitive sensitivities should maybe leave or visit the salle de bain (cheers at his attempt, because the next song is about murder. o valencia.
during 16 military wives, colin splits the crowd down the centre. a gap is made. la di da di da, di da di da. one side vs the other. louder and louder. colin conducting us. he told us to shake our fists at the other side, leer, and growl. how he turned us into children so willingly, i dont know. perhaps it is because of his utter brilliance and our realization of it, even more so at that moment when we were able to see the band live.
sons and daughters. colin urged the crowd to sing "hear all the bombs fade away" multiple times at the end. we were told to think of the upcoming election in the states.
encore
during the new song, colin grabbed someone's cell phone in the front row who was taking a picture and called someone and sang the rest of the song into the phone, and during lulls he pointed the phone to the audience and we all, appropriately, screamed our fucking faces off
we are told to close our eyes (and he made sure we did) and imagine a soldier in the desert, and he had just drank his last bit of water. breaks out in to legionnaire's lament. the entire first half of the crowd jumping in unison with colin.
a cautionary song, half the band come out into the middle of the crowd amd the song stops. they reenact the founding of montreal, as colin narrated. they grabbed audience members to participate as the redcoats, huguenots, and the natives. the song begins again. and the crowd sings, "remember what she does when your asleep"
most entertaining, heart-warming show.
brilliant.
literary genius.
love.