Sure, I enjoyed myself plenty during Colin Meloy’s solo set at Satellite Ballroom last year. The Decemberists leader is a charming man, a sort of guitar-toting Ira Glass chatterbox, and most of the songs in his band’s catalogue are stories worth hearing no matter the occasion. But without his band, Colin Meloy can be a bit like Ishmael without the whale. And any Decemberists fan will tell you that a whale is typically part of the deal.
So here’s one for your blowholes: The Decemberists (who signed with locally based Red Light Management in 2008) will perform at the Charlottesville Pavilion on Thursday, September 24. Tickets go on-sale this Friday at 10am for the pretty reasonable price of $25.
This gig should be great for a few reasons. First, the band is in peak touring condition, thanks to a few gigs during which it performed fifth album The Hazards of Love in its entirety. Second, an outdoor Decemberists gig is just the live sonic experience you want from the group, a true mob of acoustic-butchering, accordion-mashing Pogues lovers. (My personal favorite Decemberists gig: an evening with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2007.)
And third—as mentioned before—a giant whale is occasionally part of the deal, and a giant whale needs the room. Scream your lungs out, Charlottesville:
"The Mariner’s Revenge Song"
The Pavilion’s schedule is now visible from a few months out, folks. Which gigs will you catch? Lucinda Williams on September 26? Jackson Browne on August 4?
