The Decemberists Live at The Greek Theater, Los Angeles

It was hard not to feel like you were at summer camp on Tuesday night at the Greek Theater. Per usual, trees engulfed the audience and a decent amount of stars shone above. What’s more, however, The Decemberists brought their set of traditional folklore-inspired songs. Such jovial tunes, though often fairly somber in lyric, inspired a participatory crowd.

The Decemberists are touring the U.S. before heading across the pond in the fall. The Portland-native band released their eighth studio album, I’ll Be Your Girl, in March of this year. In an interview with The Atlantic, singer Colin Meloy while the record was not meant to be “overtly topical or political,” in reference to President Donald Trump, you can’t help but have some of that stuff just come through the cracks as you’re working.”

The night began with “I’ll Be Your Girl.” With lights down, one could see the plethora of people (7) and instruments that encompassed the stage. From behind, a massive backdrop featured a skull with swirly, glowing eyes that changed color according to, and sometimes during, the song. Four columns outlined the stage. Meloy paused before the next song to introduce themselves and then said, “This is our State of the Union song,” plunging into the cheery sounding “Everything is Awful.”

The Decemberists went back in their catalog, all the way to 2005 with “On the Bus Mall,” and then continued with “Won’t Want for Love” and “Make You Better.” Meloy enjoyed being coy when possible. With a knowing grin, he stated the obvious: “We have a record that came out not so long ago… We’re playing songs off of it tonight.” After “Cutting Stone,” Meloy responded to a compliment from the crowd. “Oh, thank you,” he said. “You’re admiring my jacket.” He and the rest of the band showed off their specially made garments. Meloy’s featured, as he described, a Trump monster. Pianist (really, multi-instrumentalist) Jenny Conlee’s garment was fashioned as a cape.

Post-intermission, the seven-piece group returned to the stage with another from I’ll Be Your Girl, “Once in My Life.” Following “The Island,” Meloy said, “I mentioned on Twitter today we’re not playing Los Angeles, I’m Yours.” He apologized for not singing a song that criticized their city and wondered if they must be the first band announce what songs they won’t be singing, to a chorus of laughter. They made up for skipping one California song for another, and played “Grace Cathedral Hill.”

With the night winding down, Meloy acknowledged their admittedly weird setlist, wondering what kind of prescription drugs they were on when making it; resulting laughs complemented his grin. He talked about how you don’t always get to hear the songs you want, but that the next song would be one of the songs you do hope to hear. And with the humility and happiness that comes with actually making it in the music industry, Meloy sang: “Mother, please, be proud. Father, be forgiven. Even though you told me ‘son, you’ll never make a living.’” “I Was Meant For the Stage” was met with a grand welcome of cheers.

The Decemberists returned for an encore of “Ben Franklin’s Song,” a sort of profane-colored history lesson from Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Hamildrops,” and “The Mariner’s Revenge Song.” Closing with “Mariner” seemed to be a tradition of sort. Meloy called on The Decemberists show veterans to lead: “Let them shepard you on this journey.” This journey involved a key sound effect: screaming as if being swallowed by a whale. After a couple practice screams, they began the tale of two mariners, one out to avenge the death of his mother. The skull’s eyes glowed yellow from behind a blue spotlights pulsed from above. The crowd clapped to the beat of a tune that could’ve been native to a ship crew from the 1500s. When the band swayed in unison, the mass of approximately 5,000 people swayed too. At the song’s climax, Meloy sung of the “angry jaws of a giant whale.” Funk lunged forward, his arms mimicking an oversized mouth clamping down and screams rang out. A large, monstrous whale balloon appeared and was carried throughout the crowd, screams resounding again from those it approached. Meloy had a moment rocking out on the drums, and then ended up alone at the mic, the song slowing down after the whale mass hysteria interlude. At the verse’s end, the entire band was back for another round of old timey beats that grew faster and faster, inspiring jumping, dancing and clapping from the crowd. It was the culmination of an evening of irony and liveliness with the night’s most hilarious and jolly moment.

Set List

1. I’ll Be Your Girl
2. Everything is Awful
3. On the Bus Mall
4. Won’t Want for Love
5. Make You Better
6. Cutting Stone
7. The Perfect Crime 2
8. Severed
9. Once in My Life
10. The Island
11. Grace Cathedral Hill
12. Sucker’s Prayer
13. The Queen’s Rebuke/ The Crossing 
14. Rusalka, Rusalka/ Wild Rushes 
15. I Was Meant for the Stage

Encore

1. Ben Franklin’s Song
2. The Mariner’s Revenge Song