speed of dark

I almost missed one of the best shows I've had the opportunity to attend last night. We had a communication snafu which caused us to leave later than planned and placed us at the end of a very long line to see The Decemberists at the Wiltern Theatre on Saturday night. I guess being late was better than not going at all, and I'm no longer angry at the dummy who almost squelched our plans. Still, we managed to get somewhat decent standing positions, right dead center, but I stood behind a couple who seemed to want to make out more than enjoy the music.

Lavender Diamond opened for The Decemberists. I haven't been able to get much information about them, despite the presence of both a regular and myspace webpage. The lead singer was a woman obviously much younger than her all-male bandmates. She was a little bit goofy and alt-gramma and I debated the type and quantity of the drug(s) she was taking. We were repeatedly thanked for bringing peace to the Earth, which I wasn't aware had occurred, and also praised repeatedly for being smart. How did we get so smart? Was it because we ate such healthy food? The lead singer seemed to think so. Her banter was very odd and she giggled incessently. Maybe it was nerves, but she didn't appear to be nervous. And then she opened her mouth to sing.

She had a lovely voice (even when she failed to hit the right key at one point), very soft and delicate over the acoustic guitar, keyboards, and spare drum set of her band. Lavender Diamond played a short, pleasant set which I enjoyed very much. They played both of the songs posted below, which are available on their myspace page as well. iTunes has a song called Emptiness is a Conductor off of a compilation disc, but I don't think this song was played at the show. Their CD, The Cavalry of Light is available on their website. Enjoy.

lavender diamond: you broke my heart from The Cavalry of Light
lavender diamond: rise in the springtime from The Cavalry of Light

Then my beloved Decemberists took the stage.

The lead singer, Colin Meloy, was tremendous. He is often chided for his use of grandiose words that require one to consult a dictionary, and for using phrases like "you'll not" instead of "you won't". However, I think this adds to his quirky charm, and as much as he might want to present himself as a nerd or a geek, he is truly an awesome performer. His beautiful, epic lyrics were enhanced by his gestures and facial expressions. But it didn't end there; he rolled around on the ground, interacted with the felicitous fans in the front row, and organized a theatre-wide sing-a-long. Singing along to the songs was encouraged, he said, but he wanted to make sure we were warmed up. He guided us all in a singing exercise where we sang a lilting scale to the words, "this is a wonderful show". And that it was.

If I haven't mentioned much about the other members of the band, it wasn't that I didn't notice them. It's that they weren't spotlighted: this was absolutely Colin's show. The other members were extremely prolific, going from instrument to instrument, from piano to hurdy-gurdy to melodica to accordion to violin to hammond organ. If I have a complaint about this show, it was that the lighting was terrible. The red Chinese lanterns were a pulchritudinous touch, but the band was almost always in the dark and out of the limelight. (See what I did there with the $10 word?)

I was surprised by many of the songs The Decemberists played. Of course, I was expecting to hear many tracks from The Crane Wife and I wasn't disappointed. I also expected to hear Los Angeles, I'm Yours because the show was in Los Angeles, and I was right. But I was hoping to hear Red Right Ankle, Eli the Barrowboy, Constantinople, Shiny, or my very favorite, Of Angels and Angles. And not even Mariner's Revenge Song. But every song was beautiful, high-energy, and wonderful, and I've posted three of the songs that were performed. If you ever get the chance to see The Decemberists live, I don't think you could possibly be dissatisfied. Run, don't walk, to buy their discs and thank me later.

the decemberists: odalisque from castaways and cutouts
the decemberists: song for myla goldberg from her majesty the decemberists
the decemberists: o valencia from the crane wife

More photos here, here, here, here, and here.