The Decemberists at The Warfield

Music:

I have seen The Decemberists in LA twice before, once at The Fonda Music Box and once at The Hollywood Bowl. I also saw the singer, Colin Meloy, do a solo show where he was selling rare eps of him covering Morrissey songs. But this was definitely the best show I've seen them put on thus far, at San Francisco's The Warfield. And not just because the tix were free, thanks to my pal Ivory. We were in the front and center of the first row balcony, so we had a perfect view and the sound was amazing, maybe I could just never hear Colin's banter as clearly before, or maybe he was just really feeling extra politically charged, but he was on fire. The band has always been great at commanding an audience and getting them to participate in their theatrics and sing-alongs, but his night seemed exceptional. Twice he asked the audience to put an arm around the person on both sides of them and sway back and forth, and when the San Francisco immediately complied, he announced that in no other city has an audience responded so fast and so willingly. Leave it to the lovely bay area people to spread the love and joy! He had everyone chanting anti-bomb/war slogans and had everyone shout "Yes we did!" after he said "Yes we can!" several times. He mentioned Obama many times and had the whole crowd cheering.  And every time I have seen them, they perform the whale song, "Mariner's Revenge Song" where the audience screams as if they are being eaten by a whale every time the arm signal is given. At one LA show, this band even had the whole standing section of the audience lay down on the ground and be perfectly quiet as if they were dead. It was an amazing sight. Colin is so very funny and charming, he is clearly a performer who enjoys his craft and feels very comfortable singing and talking to the large crowds he commands. And being that Colin was a creative writing major in college, it makes sense that his ability to write memorable and profound lyrics is another element of the bands everlasting charm. And of course the music is catchy and infectious as well!

Another highlight of this show was when, while singing, Colin grabbed a person's cell phone from the front of the audience and searched their electronic address book (my friend joked that it would be funny if the name he searched for was "Mom") and proceeded to dial and then sing the remainder of the song directly into the phone. It's these sorts of antics and involvement that keep audiences coming back to their shows again and again, because you know you will not only enjoy the songs, but the banter will be fun, and you will always feel entertained. Colin announced that their new album is "sitting on a desk in a local hotel and it will be out in March". 

And another stand out moment was his performance during "The Perfect Crime", which looked/felt more like a passionate theatrical production than a song. I smiled during the whole show, clapped when it was requested of me, sang along when I was commanded to do so, put my arm around my friend on the right and the stranger on my left, and at the end, I felt really alive and full of joy.  This is the kind of band you feel glad to support and follow, and you feel like you are really part of something good, positive, and true.