The raincoat that you wore when it rained today

In case you hadn't noticed, I like to select my concert recap titles from the lyrics of songs played at the show in question. Typically, I don't think about what line I might use until afterward. I'll admit, though, that as soon as the Decemberists announced their April 19th show in Madison, just days after I saw them in Milwaukee on February 5th, it occurred to me that I'd have plenty of fitting lyrics to choose from. "Raise your glass to turnings of the season." "To cold climes comes springtime." "Summer swells anon."

Well, the weather on Tuesday certainly put the kibosh on that. Rainy, sleety, sometimes snowy, it was not a pleasant spring day by any stretch of the imagination. Judging from the pockets of empty seats at the Overture Center (and the number of cars I saw off the road on my way downtown), the kibosh was put on the plans of more than a few people. However, those of us who attended saw a very good show - and likely the last one Wisconsin will see from the Decemberists for awhile.

Justin Townes Earle opened the show, accompanied for most songs by a violin player/second vocalist. I'd never seen Justin before, but I'd heard tales. Some were about his offstage antics, but more were about his skill as a performer. At the Overture, the only allusion to non-musical activities came when Justin mentioned he'd been kicked out of thirteen schools ... before leaving in the ninth grade. Impressive? His performance skills, however, were readily apparent. Justin has a great voice, and seems to go off into his own world during songs. My favorite tune of his set was a blues number whose name I can't recall, but it nearly got a standing ovation from the crowd.

When the Decemberists took the stage, there were actually only two of them to begin with: Colin and John. Together they performed a lovely, fitting rendition of "The Raincoat Song." The rest of the band joined in for "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect," a song I hadn't seen live in a long time. It reminded me of the Intonation Festival in Chicago, and summer in general.

The Overture sounds terrific, but it can be a somewhat sterile place for a rock show. Last time I saw the Decemberists there, in 2009, it was a general admission show that had been moved from the Orpheum. The crowd behaved accordingly, jumping over seats in some cases after the show began to get closer to the front. On Tuesday, by contrast, the vibe during the first few songs was very polite. That is, until someone from the balcony called out between songs for Colin to "tell everybody to stand up and dance!" Colin noted that there did seem to be some open seats on the floor, if anyone wanted to come down from the various balcony levels to fill them in.

Of course, that was all it took for fans - mostly young fans - to scurry down and stand directly in front of the stage. This lasted for a song or two, until security cleared them out because of fire regulations. Colin tried to coax them into letting the kids back up, but to no avail. By that time, however, the empty seats had been filled and much of the crowd was standing. It felt more like a "real show," as Colin put it, for the rest of the night. Colin and Chris Funk had some fun with the security guards later on, with Colin playing his guitar directly at one of them and trading low fives, and Chris Funk attempting to seduce another during "The Mariner's Revenge Song." I couldn't see exactly what was going on, but he returned to the main stage with his shirt completely unbuttoned.

Madison's set wasn't too different from the one the band played in Milwaukee in February, but there was plenty to keep things interesting for folks who had seen both shows. "Rise to Me" was gorgeous once again, and even more poignant now that I know the story behind it. Seeing Sara Watkins take lead vocals on "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" was excellent, and so was the "Crane Wife" trio played in order. And when Colin came out with a Wisconsin solidarity sticker on his guitar and said a few words before playing "This is Why We Fight," the band got the loudest and longest cheer of the night.

"June Hymn" was the closing number, and it left me satisfied but longing for true spring and early summer. It also left me a bit sad, wondering if this was the last I'd see of the Decemberists for a long time. In a recent interview, Colin said after this tour the band will take an extended break; maybe three or four years. I've been lucky to see the Decemberists and Colin about fourteen times over the past nine years, and I'm happy that I took advantage of their appearances in Wisconsin (and sometimes Illinois) whenever I could. I enjoyed every minute of it. Whether I see them again sometime this summer on an unexpected trip, or I see them again in five years, I'm confident I'll feel the same.

A panoply of song

Though I realized it just days ago, I didn't see the Decemberists in 2010.  They weren't touring anywhere in my vicinity, but the fact remains that 2010 was the first year post-2003 that I failed to see them at least once.  It felt good, then, to be able to open my 2011 concert season with a Decemberists show at the Riverside in Milwaukee.  (I don't know if Mamma Mia! last weekend counted as a first concert.)

After a brisk wait in line and a pretty set by Mountain Man (a band that, interestingly, contains no men), we were ready for the main act.  The Decemberists opened with "Leslie Anne Levine" from Castaways and Cutouts, and we were off.  Nothing like a song narrated by a dead girl to get things started right!  There were more trademark vivid narratives to come, but many of my favorite songs of the night were from The King is Dead.  The new album came out a few weeks ago, and I like it more with each listen.  "Rise to Me" and "June Hymn" were particularly lovely at the Riverside.

Despite the prevalence of newer, more understated material, the show wasn't short on band theatrics.  Chris Funk, John Moen, and tour guest Sara Watkins took to the house as the Decemberists Family Players during "A Cautionary Song," acting out three tableaux of Colin's choosing: the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the sinking of the Titanic, and the Roman Polanski scandal.  Colin handed Chris Funk's flask to a kid in the front row.  The band collectively perished on stage, with much flopping, after everyone got eaten by the whale in "The Mariner's Revenge Song."  I'm not the biggest fan of that tune on Picaresque, but I definitely get its appeal in the live setting.  We even got a verse and chorus of "In the Air Tonight," by Phil Collins.

All of the above and more made for an excellent show, but the best moment of the night for me came when Colin said the following words: "We're gonna play a song about San Francisco."  For years now - six, to be exact - I've hoped to hear "Grace Cathedral Hill" in concert.  Not living in the Bay Area, the pickings are slim.  They played it the first time I saw the band in 2004, but I longed to hear it again.  This was the state of things on Friday evening, when I happened to check Twitter just as Colin solicited requests for that night's Chicago concert.  I took a chance on a request for Milwaukee instead, hoping a mention of last hearing the song at Luther's Blues in '04 might help my case.  I'll probably never know if my request had anything to do with it ... but I do know that on Saturday night the Decemberists played "Grace Cathedral Hill," with plenty of pedal steel, and it was gorgeous.

I drove back home early Sunday morning with a guitar pick in my pocket and songs swirling around in my head.  And the next night, the Packers won the Super Bowl.  Banner weekend in Wisconsin!  The Decemberists announced today that they'll be back at the Overture Center in April.  Me too.

Setlist (as displayed by Matt):

Isn't it a lovely night?

Over the past six years I've seen the Decemberists eight times, and Colin Meloy solo four times. All were in Madison or the Chicago area. Of those combined twelve shows, only two venues have been repeats. The Decemberists' fanbase has grown steadily over the years - in size, if not in age, though I'm doing my part to drag the average up. On Wednesday night the band played their largest venue in Madison yet: the Overture Center. I don't relish the prospect of shows on the 7-foot Orpheum stage, and thought the Overture seemed better-suited for The Hazards of Love, so the venue upgrade was welcome news to me. In spite of a few questions on how the Overture would handle GA, I anticipated a fine night of music.

The Overture lobby struggled to accommodate curving lines of fans before doors opened, but the procession into the theater was orderly. The Heartless Bastards actually came on a bit early to open the show, and I liked their set. Sound quality at the front of the theater wasn't the best, but that's an expected trade-off I'm more than willing to make. During the break between sets I turned around to take in the sight of a nearly full Overture Hall. Very impressive.


The Decemberists' first set consisted of The Hazards of Love played in its entirety. The album hasn't grabbed me the way that most of the band's material has in the past, though I respect and appreciate what they've accomplished with it. Seeing it performed live, however, I was captivated. The Hazards of Love is the band's most theatrical release in many ways; a concept album that tells a complete (somewhat fantastical) story from start to finish. Listening to it is a bit like listening to a musical soundtrack. I found it very interesting, then, that the actual performance of The Hazards of Love was the least "theatrical" I've ever seen the Decemberists. There was no playful back and forth with the crowd, no singalong gimmicks, no props. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy all of those things. But this was very much an in-character performance. Colin alternated between William and the Rake, taking command with "The Rake's Song." (Which I loved. All of those drums!) Becky Stark floated about the stage as Margaret. Shara Worden leapt and howled (and smiled an awful lot) as the Queen. The audience wasn't acknowledged until the last notes of the lovely "Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)" had faded away, and I'd had time to recover from Chris Funk's awesomeness on pedal steel. It was truly a unique concert experience ... one I wouldn't mind repeating.


The second set saw the return of the usual Decemberists, with bonuses. Bonuses like Shara Worden taking the female vocal role on "Yankee Bayonet," and joining Becky Sharp for a joyous and energetic cover of Heart's "Crazy on You." Colin was chatty, explaining why we owe him a debt of gratitude (his song "Dracula's Daughter" is so bad that it made God cry a single tear, creating the lakes of Wisconsin) and reminiscing about the precarious Orpheum stage. He made use of the entire stage at the Overture, which is always a bit of an adventure when there's no barrier between the stage and the front row. The second encore began with a solo performance of the gorgeous "Red Right Ankle," and the band ended the show with "Sons and Daughters." Singing "hear all the bombs fade away" over and over at the top of your lungs with a theater full of people feels wonderful. (It is what the "Kingpin" scream wants to be.) The soundboard setlist routine didn't fail me on the way out, and I left with a nice physical souvenir of the evening. Well, that and a limited-edition poster that's taken up residence in The Pile at home. I'm weak when it comes to hometown shows.


Decemberists setlist, 8/5/09:

The Hazards of Love [full album]
**
The Crane Wife, Pt. 3
The Bachelor and the Bride
We Both Go Down Together [w/last verse of Morrissey's "Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together"]
Yankee Bayonet [duet w/Shara Worden]
Rox in the Box
July, July!
Dracula's Daughter
O Valencia!
Crazy on You (Heart cover) [Shara Worden and Becky Stark lead vocals]
***
Red Right Ankle [Colin solo]
Sons & Daughters

More pictures on flickr.

Halloween with the Decemberists

If ever there were a band made to play Halloween concerts, that band would be the Decemberists. Hey, some kids dress up for their shows even when it's not Halloween. So when I learned that the Decemberists were playing on Halloween night, at Wheaton College, in a chapel ... well, it didn't take too much consideration for me to buy a ticket.

The show met my expectations. The band came out half an hour later than the ticket-listed time of 7:30, but there was no opener, so I'm not complaining. And what an entrance they made. Colin rode out (well, rode/was propelled out) on a big wheel, dressed as Danny Torrance from The Shining. John and Nate appeared next, dressed as the creepy twins. (Colin later remarked that this was probably the first time two cross-dressing men had ever stood on stage at Wheaton College.) They were followed by Jenny as Wendy Torrance, and Chris Funk in the role made famous by Jack Nicholson. Short movie scenes were reenacted, and the movie was brought up throughout the night. The band members weren't the only ones dressed up, of course. Costumes abounded in the crowd. My favorite was a woman who dressed as a crooked French Canadian complete with guts spilling out, and even brought along a a bottle of "gin." Later in the show Colin perched her little Canadian flag on his guitar.

Colin stated that they had crafted the setlist with an eye toward the spooky, and there was an abundance of songs about murders and ghosts. Then again, that could be said about the Decemberists' catalog in general. The show was also peppered with new songs. The ending of one in particular ("Days of Elaine?" "O New England?") may have been the most rocking thing I've ever seen the band do live. In fact, the whole show was probably the most energetic I've seen from the Decemberists. During "Culling of the Fold" Colin ran all over, climbed things, and eventually wound up writhing on the stage. He also stole someone's iPhone and sang a verse to the kid's mom.

After the show, the setlists went to a few incredibly eager kids. I thought a setlist from this show would be a fun souvenir, in part because I wanted to remember what all the new songs had been. I decided to try something that I had tried at another Decemberists show a few years ago. I was successful then, and I was successful this time, too. I passed by the soundboard at the back on my way out, and sure enough, nobody had thought about the setlist from up there. The sound man told me it was all mine. Excellent. I'll take a nice setlist over trick-or-treat candy any day.


The set:
-Shanty for the Arethusa
-July, July
-Valerie Plame
-Dracula's Daughter (may be out of order - request from the crowd - played in full; Colin directing the band through the second verse. Colin, "At last, with the full band treatment I'd always dreamed of. Now we should never play it again.")
-Leslie Anne Levine
-Bachelor and the Bride
-Yankee Bayonet
-O' New England (nice Irish treatment on the setlist)
-Shankill Butchers (featuring Jenny Conlee on the Edman Chapel pipe organ)
-Culling of the Fold
-Days of Elaine
-16 Military Wives (with election-themed call and response)
-Record Year for Rain
-O Valencia
-Cautionary Song

Encore:
-Raincoat Song
-Perfect Crime #2 (breakdown featuring vocals from the creepy Shining twins)