My friend and I ran a little late getting to The Phoenix and unfortunately missed opener, Rebecca Gates. Anyone know how long she played? With doors open at 6 pm, I estimated she started at 6:30 pm. By the time, my friend and I got there it was just before 7 pm and her set was already over. Boo-hoo. For just under an hour and a half including(their 3-song encore), The Decemberists took us on a journey through their literary, sometimes dramatic, pop music. I'm pretty new to the band, having only listened to what I could find and what I could read about them from the 'net and they turned out to be an absolutley thrilling live band. I think I like their more straightforward pop music better than their more dramatic material. Highlights for me included the Morrissey-esque "We Both Go Down Together", the swooning "The Engine Driver", and the bouncy "Sixteen Military Wives". The inclusion of accordion and xylophone on some tracks were really nice, as was Petra Haden's wonderful violin playing and Jenny Conlee's spectacular keyboard arrangements. Proving also that this may be Kate Bush's year(what with a new album planned for this year and The Futureheads' cover of "Hounds of Love"), The Decemberists, with Petra Haden on vocals, ran through an absolutely stunning version of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". Petra was a little shaky at the beginning of the song with the high octave that the vocals demanded, but she soon pulled it together beautifully.
I'll say it now. Colin Meloy is the Jim Jones of indie rock. He had a command of our attention which was quite astounding. Whether it be his quips of our Canadian "liberal" politics, his pandering to the audience about him and his band wearing Canada-themed bandages, or his inclusion of the audience as part of the show, he was both convincing and charming. The set closer "The Chimbley Sweep"(morphing at one point into "Hava Nagila") had Colin at one point ordering the audience to crouch down quietly onto the floor which we gladly obeyed. Mr. Meloy ending up gently strumming his guitar and lying down on the floor of the stage as a hush fell over the crowd and his band members escaped into the darkenss. Then with a sudden fell swoop, the band members returned and the band ended the song in thrilling fashion. Thankfully, there were no half-assed efforts on the audience's part to encourage the band back for an encore, because as my friend said, it was one of the loudest bouts of applause and jubilation he's ever heard.
Colin came back initially to the stage himself playing the opening strains of what I knew was Morrissey's "Everyday is Like Sunday", and yes it turned out to be just that. I was quite surprised how much of the audience's attention was devoted to just listeningly intently and quietly. I really noticed how pristine the sound was in the venue and how full and rich Colin's voice and guitar sounded. The next song during the encore was one he introduced as a country/western song, and it turned out to be "Red Right Ankle". It was mostly Colin playing solo but at one point keyboardist Jenny Conlee stepped out to add a sublime melodica solo. The band ended the encore with "Mariner's Revenge Song", complete with audience participation, even pointing to the balcony that they had to participate as well. With that song Colin instructed us that when we were given the signal(demonstrated by the guitarist with a chomping arm motion), we were to scream at the top of our lungs like we were being eaten by a whale. We took a few run-throughs with our screaming attempts before Colin was satisfied and then the band began the song. The band really brought the house down and with our screams at a point during the song, it was nice to be a part of it. Even if my friend and I missed Rebecca Gates, this show will rank as one of my favourites of the year!
Other reviews of the show at chromewaves, Little Girl Lost: Now What?, and feminine wiles & urban survival 101.
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The season finale of Cold Case is on tonight on CBS. I thought this was one of the best new series last season. Stylishly shot, a believable cast, good dialogue, interesting scenarios. For one reason or another I haven't had a chance to keep up with it on a weekly basis this season. I watched last week's episode(entitled "Mind Hunters") which involved the discovery of nine human skulls which leads the Cold Case unit back to a serial killer who'd slipped through their fingers in the past. If you're a fan of the show, you'd know that each episode concludes with a resolution to a once previously unsolved case. Each episode conclusion usually involves a musical montage with a culprit being led away in handcuffs and family and or friends of victims displaying gestures of quiet relief. It's all very sentimental and formulaic, but also quite satisfying in it's own right. Unbeknownst to me, last week's episode was only part 1 of 2 episodes. It was strange to watch the episode last week and not see a resolution at the conclusion of the show. I later found out that the episode was a rerun and had originally been broadcast earlier in the season. Smartly, CBS rebroadcast the episode as a prelude to tonight's season finale(entitled "The Woods") which'll finally tie up the story line in a hopefully satisfying conclusion.
ps. Music plays a large role in the show(especially during an episode's concluding montage), and whether you're a fan of the actual songs used in the episodes, the ones used always seem to be surprisingly appropriate. Check out the songs used for Season One and Season Two.
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