The Decemberists 4.22.07

I have long been a Decemberists fan, so when Meg got us tickets to see them for my birthday, I was extremely excited!

Meg and I left for Denver around 3:30. The drive was nice since there wasn’t much traffic. We made it to Denver in record time and found an excellent parking spot on the street just one block away from the Fillmore—a wonderful surprise, since Joe and I had to park about 4 blocks away when we saw the Shins a few months ago

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We waited in line from 4:30 until the doors opened at 7:00. The security guards patting people down at the entrance took away Meg’s switchblade and her flask of whiskey, both of which she retrieved after the show. Once inside we ran to the stage and claimed spots at the railing (my favorite place to be at a concert). From previous concerts, I knew how painful that location could become once the music began and the crowd surged forward, so I was a bit concerned for Meg. I was amazed, though, that during the whole concert only a couple people so much as bumped into me. Perhaps that had a lot to do with the overwhelmingly young crowd (couldn’t buy alcohol).

The opening band, My Brightest Diamond, was actually pretty good. I wouldn’t necessarily buy one of their albums, but they were still one of the better opening bands I’ve seen. It was their lead singer’s birthday, and she sang “Yankee Bayonet” later with the Decemberists.

A few highlights of the show: they performed my favorite song of theirs, “The Engine Driver.” On the drive over I had told Meg that I could die happy if I heard that song live, haha.

During “16 Military Wives,” front man Colin Meloy separated the crowd into two sides and staged a humorous mock battle and stare-down contest. Quite amusing. He then pointed to areas of the crowd and told them to open up a circle for an impromptu dance contest. We noticed a long-haired, massive guy—at least 6’3”—wearing a cape and a dress and having the time of his life “dancing” (writhing like he was having a seizure). *shudder* Multiple times I had to restrain Meg from crowd surfing and starting fights.

For the encore Colin Meloy came out onstage alone and asked some people in the front row for requests. One woman yelled into the microphone, “take off your pants!” and threw her bra onstage. A few minutes later she asked for it back.

The biggest highlight of the show was The Mariner's Revenge Song, the final song during the encore and—oddly enough—a song I have never really liked and tend to skip over on the album. The song began softly, with only Colin on guitar, then the rest of the band came in: accordion, cello, drums, and an instrument I was unable to identify that appeared to be a cross between a miniature piano and a jack-in-the-box (I’m sure that clarifies it for you, haha). The band got crazier as the song progressed, with the drummer knocking one of his toms around the stage while still playing it (incidentally it fell into the pit near the end, nearly clipping a security guard’s head in the process. I’m glad he had good peripheral vision and was able to duck in time). Finally some people with a giant papier-mache whale came onstage and proceeded to “eat” the band members. At the end three of the Decemberists jumped the rail into the crowd and began crowd surfing. The security guys looked shocked and began panicking as they tried to get them back onstage (they have a strict no crowd surfing policy at the Fillmore).

Overall, it was an excellent concert. I have never seen a band that not only sounded great but managed to entertain and make me laugh. They are superb musicians and performers.

Setlist:

• Crane Wife (1, 2, and 3)
• The Island
• The Infanta
• July, July!
• Yankee Bayonet
• Shankill Butchers
• The Engine Driver
• On the Bus Mall
• O Valencia!
• 16 Military Wives
• The Perfect Crime #2
• Sons and Daughters

Encore:

• Bridges and Balloons (Colin Meloy solo)
• Red Right Ankle (Colin Meloy solo)
• The Mariner's Revenge Song