Birthday Rockin' Week 1/5: The Decemberists
What were the words I meant to say before she left
When I could see where her breath lead
Where was she going to?
Maybe I should just let it be,
And maybe it'll all come back to me.
Sing 'Oh, January, oh.'
Venue: The Beacon Theatre. Always lovely, always civil.
Seats/Position in Crowd/Up-In-Itness: We were in the first mezzanine-or the loge if you will-in the first row. Being right in the front was nice. We had an unobstructed view of everything. I actually thought during the set, "Wow, I can see the whole band at once!" because usually I'm too close to do that. But since we were in the balcony, we weren't really Up In It, and we didn't stand because it's usually rotten when the people in the front of the balcony stand up.
OPQ (Old-Person Quotient): The OPQ was very high-probably the highest of any of the shows we'll see this week. It was seated. The opening band started right at 8 pm, and the Decemberists finished up before 11 pm. Plus, I drove to the show, so we were home in less than half an hour. Just in time for Matlock, then bed.
Opening Act: Wye Oak. I won't rush out and buy any of their albums, but, as far as opening acts go, they weren't a slog to sit through. The set got better as it went along, and the songs they mentioned were from the most recent EP or current album were the best, so the band is probably getting better as it goes along, too.
Setlist: As usual, Jesse posted the setlist. It includes most of my very favorites: "July, July," "O Valencia," "Calamity Song," and "January Hymn" (which are my two favorites from the new album), etc.
However, 19 songs total is acceptable and not great, and they were oddly sequenced. They skimmed the best/most upbeat songs from the new album in a row right off the top, then had a few slower/older songs in a row. It lead to a little lull after "Engine Driver" and before "January Hymn" of slow- or mid-tempo songs I didn't know that well. Then the encore was three connected songs all from The Crane Wife. They could have mixed it up a little better.
High Point: I was completely elated when they played "January Hymn" and "July, July" right in a row. "January Hymn" is so amazingly pretty-and it's about January, which is so far the only thing that takes the sting out of having a January birthday. "July, July" always, always, always makes me happy.
They also played "The Rake's Song" with three extra bass drums, and that was pretty rad.
Low Point: The encore was a letdown. For songs from The Crane Wife, I prefer "Sons and Daughters" to any one part of "Come & See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning." And, for sprawling, interconnected songs, I pretty much prefer anything from The Hazards of Love. The crowd was excited, but I'm not so into "The Island," so it was a waste that took up three song slots. "June Hymn" was a nice note to end on, though.
Exuberance: The Decemberists are nothing if not exuberant. They seem to always speed their songs up a little when they play them live, and Colin Meloy was jumping around all over the place. But, seeing as it was a mostly-seated venue, the crowd couldn't match the enthusiasm of the band.
Up next: Liz Phair