Concert Review- Decemberists at Stubbs, Austin TX 8/8/2011

I've seen The Decemberists three times on this current tour, and I've yet to be disappointed. Most of it's because the music is good and the song selection is safe, but partly because Colin Meloy is a very underrated front man. Need proof? Go to a show and try not coming back with a smile on your face. Meloy plays the hell out of his guitar, he sings his little heart out, and for a guy who writes some pretty grim tunes, he's pretty damn hilarious. But even this being a third show for me, it was special in it's own way. Jenny Conlee, the longtime multi-instrumentalist for the band, made a rare appearance with the band after being diagnosed with breast cancer back in May. Her presence was felt and she's glue to a well made machine.

Opening with "Leslie Anne Levine" from "Castaways and Cutouts" was a great choice. It's a song, rarely played that kind of set the tone for the light hearted approach the band took for the evening. New tracks off the band's latest LP "The King is Dead" sounded great too, highlights being "Rox in the Box" and "All Arise!" in which I myself "two stepped" with a much older, attractive woman who sang the lyrics back at me. The show kind of put you in that mood to sing along with your fellow man...or woman.

The best portion of the show came from the only two cuts off of the underrated "Hazards of Love" album. The one-two punch of "Won't Wait for Love" and "Rake's Song" made for a headbangin' and fist pumpin' good time that displayed the fun of both the band and the crowd. While the album didn't get it's due on this show, the aforementioned tracks were among the best played on this whole tour. For an encore, you get "The Mariner's Revenge Song", I won't tell you anything to spoil it for you, but it's one of those things you have to experience for yourself since it's probably the cheesiest, sweetest, most fun you can have at a show with songs involving death, killing children, political change, and lost love.

Not once was I bored, even opening act Caitlin Rose, with her pretty face and country songs had me tapping my feet. The Decemberists are one of the premier bands right now that we have in the states. Pretentious? Yes. Melancholy? Without a doubt! But good lord, these Portlandians know how to have a good time. In the face of a serious situation within a band member's health, you wouldn't be able to tell if they were going through turmoil or not. Like a live band should be, they just want to have fun.


-bro sport