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November 28, 2006
The Decemberists turn the Hammerstein Ballroom into the Mercury Lounge.
"Oh gosh," Colin Meloy said, looking up at the ornate and very sold-out balconies of the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. "We're going to do our best to pretend that we're playing at the Mercury Lounge tonight." And for the next almost two hours they did just that, turning the 3700 seat theater into an intimate club show with audience sing-alongs, dance contests and plenty of endearing banter.
A Decemberists show has always been more musical theater than rock concert and the Hammerstein show was no exception. The stage was ringed by hanging orange Chinese lanterns and the backdrop was a recreation of the Crane Wife album cover. And with Meloy looking and acting more like a drama nerd than a rock star, any big musical gesture he makes – such as rolling around on the floor while playing guitar – comes off looking more cute and wink-wink ironic than hipster cool. Luckily, he's not trying to be the next Julian Casablancas, he's just genuinely enjoying himself, with an ear-to-ear grin for most of the night, bounding about the stage like Tigger, and leading the audience in participatory fun.
First there was the dance contest he initiated during the middle of "The Perfect Crime #2" which pitted the people on the floor against those in the balcony. Then there was the goosebump-inducing bit during an unplugged, slowed-down version of "Song for Myla Goldberg" when Meloy let the crowd sing the tongue-twisting lines, "I know New York/I need New York/I know I need unique New York." It was a beautiful moment, made all the more so by the fact that Decemberists fans can actually sing on key. Meloy thanked the audience for participating, but said, "I have a suspicion you came to the show without properly warming up your vocal cords" and proceeded to lead everyone in a brief vocal warm up lifted from his days at drama school in Montana.
But the best prank of the night came during "Culling of the Fold," a Crane Wife b-side, which Meloy joked may have been left off the album for being, "a little too violent." Mid-song, Meloy grabbed the cell phone of someone in the crowd, scrolled through the guy's contact list, and sang "Listen up boy/And listen up girl/It's a shallow little trench/And it's giving off a stench" to some unsuspecting family member or friend.
Despite Meloy owning center stage, there were plenty of places for one's eyes to wander. Each band member played a minimum of two instruments. And the Decemberists don't go in for that tedious guitar/bass/drums rock thing. Oh no. Their stage was full of musical devices like violin, cello, accordion, pedal steel guitar, upright bass (our sympathies to Nate Query's roadie,) bouzouki (!), hurdy gurdy (!), banjo, glockenspiel, and Hammond organ. Each new song brought a different configuration. Keyboardist Jenny Conlee started off sharing piano duties with Chris Funk on "Culling of the Fold," but switched to accordion mid-song. Funk and touring member Lisa Molinaro played at least ten different instruments between the two of them. Everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives onstage. If they were intimidated by the prestigious venue, they didn't let on. Funk bounced and sang along to every song, despite the fact that he wasn't mic-ed, and Conlee pounded on her keyboards like a rock goddess. Molinaro played with virtuosic flourishes and during "A Cautionary Song" joined drummer John Moen and Funk in venturing deep into the audience and engaging in some sort of mock battle that sadly, was impossible to see from where we were standing.
There were many musical highlights. The three part, twelve-minute proggy tour de force "The Island" was fully realized and kick-you-in-the-guts powerful. And "I Was Meant for the Stage," which Meloy sang for his mother (awww!) who was in attendance ended the night with the band falling to floor and mangling their instruments. Meloy then hurled himself first onto Moen's drum kit and then onto the drummer's back and was carried off stage piggy back style.
As the pride of the Indie world, the Decemberists at one time may have seemed unlikely candidates for crossover success, but their affecting stories and timeless melodies have steadily won them more and more mainstream fans. Now, with the financial and distribution powers of a major label behind them, it's doubtful they'll be playing the Mercury Lounge any time soon. Better get used to it Colin.
This review originally appeared in http://www.junkmedia.org
Posted by Laura at November 28, 2006 06:02 PM