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ACL: The Decemberists
The poetic “The Crane Wife 3” kicked off the Decemberists super-rocking show during the 7:30 p.m. sunset slot on the Dell stage with more vigor than to be expected from band that can be so sedate on record.
The audience grew and grew to the point that even the band’s die-hard fans were shocked that so many people were gathering together to watch the soft-spoken, hyper-literate and erstwhile indie rock band.
Undaunted by the sounds of Ghostland Observatory’s dance party bleeding over the hill, the Decemberists of Portland, Ore., played the majority of their 2006 Capitol Records release, “The Crane Wife” including the would-be-a-hit-in-a-perfect-world, “O Valencia” and a sampling of their older and more accessible songs.
The Decemberists — lead singer/guitarist Colin Meloy, guitarist Chris Funk, keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query and drummer Jon Moen — were nothing short of spectacular in the festival environment. Meloy appeared completely at ease with their Dell stage headlining performance. Feet firmly planted on center stage, Meloy displayed poise in his vocal performance and prowess on his guitar. With more perforamances like this one, don’t be surprised if the band transcends the indie rock genre and becomes known as a rock ‘n’ roll band for the masses.
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Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: ACL Festival
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By Matt Wheeler
September 17, 2007 3:00 PM | Link to this
The Decemberists were, hands down, the highlight of this past weekend. Many other bands came close, but not even Muse could top this show!
By John
September 20, 2007 5:29 PM | Link to this
Bwahahaha!
The boring Decemberists, the highlight of ACL? LOL .’Nuff said.