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They were absolutely incredible. Both sets were played to perfection, and Colin was absolutely adorable while speaking to the audience. I also love Kool Haus, one of my favourite venues. All in all, a spectacular night.
I have to say, this concert was one of the more impressive concerts I have ever been to. The played the entirety of the Hazards of Love straight through without taking a break, and then played a few of the favourites from older albums, like Billy Liar, O Valencia, and Sons and Daughters. Their performance skills were absolutely amazing. They also played a song by Heart, which demanded a lot of technical skill, and I thought it was brilliant.
Fantastic show - they played their latest 'folk-opera' start to finish with flair and topped it off by closing the show with a handful of crowd-pleasing songs from previous albums. A great show! My only thoughts for improvement would be to have them mount their next show at a theatre - Massey Hall, perhaps?
The raw talent of the Decemberists really out lived my expectations of their performance. Originally, I wasn't to pleased with Hazards of Love in comparison to previous albums. Seeing the whole thing live really changed my opinion. I was also great that they played some old tunes, and a rocking cover of Hearts Crazy On You. I was also impressed with the friendliness of the audience. I met some really nice and cool people and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. By far this is one of my favorite concert experiences.
We actually bought tickets to this show to see the Heartless Bastards, who were opening for the Decemberists. As I expected, they were absolutely incredible. The vocalist's range and tone are so unlike most female singers right now, and their songs are just so haunting and (for lack of better word) awesome. Then the Decemberists kept us waiting. For a really long time. It felt like they were doing it on purpose too, just being rock stars for the sake of being rock stars. When they finally came out, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know much about them and had never really listened to them, but the music was whimsical, intelligent and well put together. However, the female vocalist's "moves" (i.e. majestically/pretensiously raising her arms above her head every fifteen seconds) started to get really annoying. In the second song of the set, she started working the windchimes...you know, the formulaic Dave Matthews-style star sprinkle that's thrown in to invoke a sense of whimsy and romance - all the while maintaining her arm raising moves. We had had enough. It was too contrived - and mainly just because of this one person's 'tude, we couldn't take it seriously. It felt like a high school musical theatre troupe. Three of us left during the third song, leaving another three behind who couldn't justify abandoning the show after the $30 they paid to get in.
We waited for four hours outside but ended up getting the best spots in the entire venue. I was literally three feet away from colin meloy about 10 times. The concert was better than the cd. They played the ENTIRE Hazards of Love album, and it was epic. It was played way more hardcore than the album which was completely appropriate for a concert setting. I honestly couldn't imagine a better concert. I doubt I will go to a better one for the rest of my life.
A great showcase for the talents of Colin Melloy and the other members of the band. All are adept on a variety of instruments and the two guest vocalists also made stellar contributions. The showcasing of the Hazards of Love worked brilliantly on the stage and they also performed a few classic tunes such as The Sporting Life and Sons and Daughters.
Great show, great audience, great sound, great end to a holiday weekend! So cool seeing a band do an album cover to cover with no breaks, no chit chat etc.
I've seen the Decemberists once before and the one thing i can't believe is how they get the crowd so involved with the show. They could take someone who's never listened to their music and turn them into a super fan just due to the atmosphere at the show. Now no knock to the music besides a couple of noticeable vocal errors which were all laughed off by band and fans alike, their play is amazing. Would recommend to anyone who is remotely interested in the band.
I have been to hundreds of concerts of all kinda of music, and this was by far the most amazing one! The Decemberists put on an encredibly powerful show that I will always remember! Cant wait for them to come back to TORONTO!
One of the best live shows I've seen to date. Excellently paced, really loved the tightness as they played Hazards. Not to mention the surprise Heart cover near the end. Go see the Decemberists live now!
The Band is incredible, amazing vocals, fantastic array of instruments! Kudos for encouraging crowd participation. Kool Haus is a bit rough around the edges, reminds me of all the clubs on the lakeshore, a combination of heat and neon lights - classic early 90s bar scene.
Rock part was great, but after the break wasn't into the folksy stuff. Also, sound at Kool Haus was not the greatest.
The Decemberists played their whole new Album "Hazards of Love". Then they played some older songs (i.e "sons and daughters"."Sporting Life"and "O' Valencia". Would definitely see them again!!
I've been a concert-goer for years now, and have seen tons of various artists live. The Decemberists are easily in the upper echelons of performances. This current tour has them playing the entirety of Hazards of Love, beginning to end, and then finishing up with a smattering of fantastic songs from other albums. If you're at all a fan, and even if you're not, you owe it to yourself to see this band in concert.
We arrived at the Edgefield Manor incredibly excited about seeing the Decemberists playing in their hometown. I had never seen the band before and expectations were quite high. The band took the stage just about 8pm and didn't communicate with the audience at all for the first hour. What happened was a complete performance of their latest album "The Hazards Of Love". The played the concept album (in character) from start to finish. At times they rocked and were fantastic, but also at times it was a little bit boring. Granted I did not yet have the album and was therefore unfamiliar with the new songs. In terms of their performance of the album...they were great. As they concluded the album's final track lead singer Colin Meloy said thanked the audience and they left the stage for about 5 minutes. When the band returned they played a great second set of fan (and band) favourites. These included "Billy Liar", "July July", :Engine Driver", "O Valencia" and an absolutely stunning cover of Heart's "Crazy On You". They then returned for an encore of "Sons & Daughters". The left the crowd singing "Now all the bombs fade away" as they left into the warm Troutdale night.
Better than anticipated! Simply awesome 'Hazards of Love' set! Personable band that was really playing with the crowd. Great concert! Blind Pilot, the opening act, was great!
I'll be the first to admit that I am not an average fan of this band. What I mean is I don't own a single album and have never before seen them live. Now don't get me wrong, I think they are great songwriters and I have friends and family that love them. This show changed all that! I knew they could weave a tale when singing a song but the first half of this show displayed an amazing ability to bring you into a story. And what a story it was. A solid hour of what I found out was their latest album, in it's entirety, The Hazards of Love. I kept thinking to myself, "they could make a musical out of this." I guess they kind of did, the way the singers played off each other. Truly entertaining. After a 20 minute break they came back out and played some of their old stuff, a couple new songs (so new they weren't sure how to begin!), and then capped it all off with a roof raising rendition of Heart's "Crazy On You". All in all, I went from casual enjoyment when someone else was listening to them, to buying their latest CD and definitely going to see them the next time they roll through town. Seeing a Decemberists show is money well spent.
This was by far one of the best shows I've seen in a while. For those smart enough to have bought tickets for both nights, good for you. For those who missed it...think....Alternative Rock/Folk Opera for their first set, which was their latest release, The Hazards of Love, in which they performed the album in it's entirety without so much as a sip of water. Unreal! The second set was a fantastic set from previous albums, playing faves like Oceanside, Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect and an almost spiritual version of Sons and Daughters.
Haunting Hammond Organ drifts up to the threshold of hearing, swelling, morphing into the opening guitar chords of The Hazards of Love 1 ( The prettiest whistles won't wrestle the thistles undone ) and so Colin Meloy draws the audience through the eye of the needle into a bizarrely dark and effervescent world. Technically the Decemberists were almost perfect in matching the chord progressions, tempo changes and intricate vocal play that mark this album as one artistic gem constructed from many. The album runs about 58 minutes, the live performance of the same ran about 58 minutes, every moment was accounted for in spectacular sparkle. The drums were crucial particularily in The Rake, when 4 band members each held court with two drums, lead by the drum kit magic of John Moen that propelled this dark intentioned song into a demented groove...delicious. Additional presence by Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden deliver the lead vocals for the female characters in shattering brilliance. Frontman Meloy was the watchmen along the tower, patrolling the stage with elegance and confidence, troubadourily inclined, spinning the tale both musically and lyrically. The Wanting Comes in Waves, is more than the title of a song near the end of the album and set, it was a final coda in my mind, wanting, needing more, left ultimately drained and slightly unsatisfied when the peddle steel guitar aptly appointed, hauntingly underscores Meloys acoustic guitar picking. Needed more...got more in the 2nd set. Got much more in the encore, from reenactments of how Vancouver was discoverd in 1496 (?) fast and loose and funny history with band members moshing into the crowd, propelled by Meloy's audience interaction, to a screamingly splendid cover of Heart's Crazy on You, by Stark and Worden, soaring through the packed theatre. It was hot, humid splendid performance, one vancouver audiences haven't been treated to in years...come again Decemberists,soon,please...Thank you.
