Heading into the Decemberists show at the State Theatre, I was a bit dismayed by the fact that they would be doing the entirety of The Hazards of Love again, as they had done earlier this summer at Rock The Garden. Not that I don’t like their new album—I certainly do—it’s just that I was hoping for a varied setlist and a chance at hearing some songs they didn’t have room for during their abridged festival performance. And when you have a frontman as affable and engaging as Colin Meloy to entertain you for the evening, a large part of his winning personality is mostly absent while he and the band are occupied with the constant musical transitions found on The Hazards of Love. But I was quite excited to have front row seats to this show, and was convinced that the performance would ultimately prove to be rewarding. And I was proven correct by a band that has basically come to the end of their current US tour (save for a festival in San Francisco and The Hazards of Love “Visualized” show at Royce Hall in L.A.), and has loosened up a bit on their staging of the album, having fun with the theatrics of THoL instead of enveloping themselves in the seriousness of the material. It was ultimately quite an enjoyable show, featuring a brand new song performed acoustic by Meloy during the encore, and one that again showcased the band’s wealth of high minded pop songs as well as one of the most jocular front men in music.

Since I have previously written about the Decemberists’ performance of THoL, and as it was essentially the same set up and execution, I won’t dwell too long on this part of their set. I will say that being able to watch them perform the album from the front row, I was really struck by how many instrument changes the band needed to make over the course of the performance, and how all of it was carefully choreographed by intuitive stage hands that truly helped the band smoothly transition from one song to the next. There weren’t any awkward pauses or silences, and the band dutifully charged through the album from start to finish with a precision and a professionalism that really brought the songs to life. That’s not to say that they weren’t having fun with it as well, with the members exchanging humorous glances and laughs with each other during some of the night’s lighter moments. And there was certainly a more theatrical side of the performance that also drew the crowd deeper into the music, with Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond) dressed all in white to play the role of Margaret, the heroine of the tale, and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) donning all black to play the antagonistic role of the envious Forest Queen.

The album breezed by smoothly, sounding incredible in the ornate theater, especially the steady stand-up bass of Nate Query and the intricate mandolin and pedal steel guitar work of Chris Funk. The band was tight, and certainly had grown comfortable with the material by this point. Standouts included any time Stark and Worden came forward to sing, with their vocals ringing out in the still theater, as well as the propulsive “The Rake’s Song,” with most of the band joining in on drums along with John Moen. I also loved the rendition of the plaintive “Annan Water,” which was haunting and poignant. For me though, the entire album builds up to the stunning closing number “The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned),” which is one of the most gorgeous and heartbreaking songs in the Decemberists’ catalog. On this night the band closed out its first set with a phenomenal rendition of the moving song, bringing the tragic tale full circle. The crowd sent the band off with a standing ovation, obviously enraptured by their captivating performance of The Hazards of Love.

After a brief break, the band returned for their second set. This is where I was hoping to hear some different songs that went unplayed during their last show here. And while their non-Hazards of Love set was a bit uneven like it was at Rock The Garden, they still gave us some rousing numbers that sent all of us home happy. The band started with a lively version of the Picaresque track “The Sporting Life” which got the entire crowd on their feet where they stayed for the entirety of the encore. “Billy Liar” was a romp, with Meloy again playfully dividing up the crowd to sing along with the band. It got everyone involved and helped make the bawdy, suggestive song memorable. The band followed that up with the first real surprise of the night, one of the B-side’s to the Billy Liar EP, “Everything I Try To Do, Nothing Seems To Turn Out Right.” It was a splendid song, and really resonated well with the hushed audience.

Meloy requested that the stage be bathed in red lights for the next number, assuring the crowd that they would not be doing a cover of “Roxanne,” although “that would be pretty cool.” And, when some imbecile shouted out for “Free Bird,” Meloy scolded him, telling the audience that the Decemberists were charter members in MACOF (Musicians Against the Calling Out of Freebird). It was hilarious, and I truly wish all bands were members of this fictional club. With the stage colored in blood red lighting the band eased into the sinister “Shankill Butchers,” with Moen leaving the drums to play pedal steel guitar while Funk plucked away delicately at the mandolin. It was an eerie and wonderful rendition of a truly spooky song. The band brought the momentum of the show back up with another song from The Crane Wife, a spirited version of “O Valencia!” that got the crowd clapping along, and also allowed Meloy to sneak in a bit of “Dracula’s Daughter” into the break down of the track.

Stark and Worden came back out to join the band on the fiery Heart classic “Crazy On You,” which set the place off (as it did at Rock The Garden), and really showcased the passionate vocals of the two women. They owned the song and the stage as they stomped around belting out the lyrics. It was a stormy cover, and certainly one of the highlights of the set. I was hoping that we would get a few more songs to end the night (as “Crazy On You” closed out the band’s set at RTG), and was pleasantly surprised when Meloy came out solo for the second encore. He said that he had a brand new song he wanted to play for us, and proceeded to play a lovely, austere track about winter and January that really floored me. It’s always nice to hear brand new music that a band hasn’t truly fleshed out yet, and this delicate song really seemed to hit home for most of the audience, especially with the early onset of what certainly feels like winter setting in.

And, as the band came out to join Meloy for another number, he thanked the audience, saying he always loves playing Minneapolis and how most of his heroes have come from here, before playing an all-too-brief snippet of the Replacements “Waitress In The Sky.” Oh, how I wanted to hear more. But alas, the band had other ideas, and instead lead us into the rousing “Sons And Daughters” which turned into a passionate crowd singalong, and also brought out opening act Laura Viers & the House Of Flames, who were playing their last show with the Decemberists. It was truly a celebratory rendition, with the entire theater singing along with both bands, pleading for the bombs to indeed fade away after so long. It closed out the show on a true high, and really represented the appeal of the Decemberists—loving the band truly is a participatory experience and Meloy’s wonderful songs are ultimately meant to be shared collectively. And, given the reaction that the full State Theatre had to this performance, the Decemberists’ songs were truly taken to heart and stirred everyone in attendance at this wonderful show.

Setlist:

The Hazards Of Love

The Sporting Life
Billy Liar
Everything I Try To Do, Nothing Seems To Turn Out Right
Shankill Butchers
O Valencia!
Crazy On You (Heart cover)
Untitled New Song (Colin solo – encore)
Sons And Daughters (encore)

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Also: The Decemberists on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson