Photo Credit: Holly Andres<\/p>\n
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Written By Sadie Shelkey<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Decemberists create vibrant worlds through their songs, from ghost stories to tales of revenge to love stories to retellings of classic folktales. On the second stop of their \u201cA Peaceable Kingdom\u201d tour, The Decemberists took Roadrunner by storm with a performance as whimsical as their music. This tour comes in anticipation of their 9th studio album, \u201cAs It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again,\u201d the band\u2019s first new release since 2018.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The concert kicked off with a memorable indie-rock set by chicago-based band Ratboys. Led by vocalist Julia Steiner, the 4-piece ensemble brought a unique energy to the stage, their vibe and lyricism reminiscent of Julien Baker and early Big Thief. The set was a perfect precursor to The Decemberists’ performance, setting the stage with songs from their new album \u201cThe Window.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n After Ratboys, I took notice of the stage setup, filled with an array of mics and instruments that begged the question of \u201csurely, they can\u2019t possibly be using ALL of those?\u201d However, as the seven touring band members took the stage, it became clear that they would be \u2014and it was going to be wonderful. The set was a unique blend of an old-timey theater, a spooky marsh, and the Garden of Eden simultaneously\u2013 a perfect setting for a band with so many stories to tell.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The imagery in their lyrics and atmosphere onstage complimented each other well. They immediately immersed the audience in their storytelling with \u201cAll I Want Is You\u201d\u00a0 from their new album. The Portland-based band, led by frontman Colin Meloy, switched up the setlist significantly from the tour\u2019s first show, playing fan favorite \u201cSevered\u201d and my personal favorite \u201cDon\u2019t Carry It All.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the recorded versions of their songs range between orchestral and stripped-back, the concert\u2019s arrangements were all layered with instrumentals ranging from trumpet to accordion to harmonica\u2014all seven members clearly in tune with each other as with their instruments.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Throughout the set, Meloy\u2019s unique bell-tone vocal quality blended extraordinarily with touring member Lizzy Ellison\u2019s haunting harmonies. Still, nothing could have possibly prepared me for \u201cThe Wanting Comes in Waves\/Repaid,\u201d where Lizzy unveiled a powerful belt as she rocked the part of the queen in the song\u2019s narrative. By far, this was my favorite performance of the night. She brought a fantastic quality to the music, which was already a fun pivot from the folky jaunts and ballads that made up much of the set.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The band also teased two unreleased songs: \u201cOh No!\u201d and \u201cLong White Veil,\u201d giving the audience a further look into \u201cAs It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again,\u201d which will be released on June 14th, mid-tour.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n They also performed \u201cJoan in the Garden,\u201d the upcoming album\u2019s 19-minute-long epic, as the show\u2019s encore. It may have been my tired legs speaking, but I feel like this song and its many interludes would have been better placed earlier in the set to allow for a more triumphant finish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite this, \u201cAs It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again\u201d is sure to be an instant classic for both longtime fans of the band and those only familiar with a few songs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n From harmonica solos to Meloy\u2019s charming anecdotes, this concert was such a joy. The Decemberists have long held a special place in my heart, and this performance was full of the lovely eccentricity that attracted me to the band\u2019s music in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo Credit: Holly Andres Written By Sadie Shelkey The Decemberists create vibrant worlds through their songs, from ghost stories to tales of revenge to love stories to retellings of classic folktales. On the second stop of their \u201cA Peaceable Kingdom\u201d tour, The Decemberists took Roadrunner by storm with a performance as whimsical as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22960,"featured_media":41553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525,1523,15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41554,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41552\/revisions\/41554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}