“People aren’t getting picked off by bears in the very very back?” Colin Meloy asked the capacity crowd at the Greek Theatre on Saturday night. It was typical good humor from the Decemberists frontman, who emerged on stage dressed in a sharp gray suit, holding a glass of wine, as one by one the remaining six members of the Portland band joined him onstage before opening their set with “Cavalry Captain” from “What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World,” their seventh album, released this year. The stage backdrop matched the album artwork and was lit bright enough for patrons at the back to catch each time Meloy held his guitar up high. While there wasn’t a huge amount of interaction between the musicians, it was obvious that every member of the Decemberists were well in tune with one another as they performed seamlessly through older tracks “Calamity Song” and “Billy Liar.” Fans were very pleased with the new songs, and Meloy’s witty quips and occasional stance on the stage edge kept everyone starry eyed. “The Crane Wife” parts 1, 2, and 3 satiated an audience who were hungry for the kind of tall tales that the Decemberists command with such earnestness and fanfare. Meloy was able to personalize the show by singing “Los Angeleez, I’m yours” obviously followed by huge cheers. Not only do The Decemberists have a very distinct vocalist but also a very unmistakable brand of songwriting that can move quickly from lovesick folk songs to ominous rock textures and weighty narrative. One of the most powerful moments was during “The Wanting Comes In Waves – Repaid” with Kelly Hogan’s compelling vocals, piercing rock guitar and Meloy’s inherent knack for storytelling. “Sixteen Military Wives” had Meloy saluting the audience and orchestrating a comical theater-wide la-dee-da-along.
Toward the end of the set, Meloy joked, “I know that most people come out here on the stage at the Greek in Los Angeles here in Griffiths Park in front of all you people who’ve come out of your catacombs below the Observatory where you all live and they let you out just for one night, one night a week, and this is your special night…. so bands come out here and they play their very best songs they’ve ever written… I’m gonna play you the very worst song I ever wrote…” He pushed into the cheesy “Dracula’s Daughter” and then continued straight into “Oh! Valencia” from 2006’s “The Crane Wife.” He then noted “We’re gonna end with “Beginning Song” and closed the main set. They returned for an encore of the harmonica-driven folk-lullaby “12/17/12” from the newest album. “Alright folks we got one more for you, one last number to try to really really win you over. Oh, congratulations on your dumb basketball team. Look at that, a sports reference at a Decemberists show, you never thought you’d see that. Blowing your minds.” Multi-instrumentalist Jenny Conlee switched from playing the piano, organ, accordion, glockenspiel and melodica throughout the evening but it was her delicate singing part in epic closer “The Mariner’s Revenge” where she shined brightest. The audience was instructed to scream like they were being swallowed by a whale followed by tempo changes, sea-shanty swaying, and a stage invasion of a giant whale puppet — a climax that was theatrical in all the best ways.
Photos & words by me for BUZZBANDS.LA
