The Decemberists, Wye Oak present worthy recipe for concert entertainment
By Madeleine Flynn
Aug. 17, 2011 2:43 p.m.
The Decemberists, with Wye Oak
Greek Theatre
Aug. 12
Last Friday night’s concert at the Greek Theatre featuring The Decemberists and opener Wye Oak may well have been themed “Revenge of the Nerds” night, and that is not meant as a jab at either band. Both groups featured members whose clean-cut appearance and extremely literate stage banter belied the fact that these bands really know how to rock.
Baltimore-based indie rock duo Wye Oak, named after the former state tree of Maryland, kicked the night off with a set of darkly melodious tunes that flowed from the quietly contemplative to the head-bangingly explosive.
Largely playing songs from its most recent LP, “Civilian,” band members Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack filled the air with a more expansive sound than can be expected of two people alone on a stage.
Stack, looking fairly un-rock ‘n’ roll in his button-down shirt and thick-rimmed glasses, played keyboard with his left hand while simultaneously playing drums with his right hand and foot.
The highlight, however, was Wasner’s gorgeously androgynous voice. Dressed in a striped collared shirt tucked into dark pants, she crooned and thrashed out beautifully noisy solos on her electric guitar. Her long blonde hair frequently fell over her face as she hunched over her guitar.
“Thank God someone finally decided to turn down the house lights. How rude,” she said halfway through the set, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Get it? ‘Cause we’re outside? Nobody wants to hear my jokes.”
Her endearingly awkward stage banter ““ which included thanking the audience for being “so gosh darn nice” ““ contrasted with the sheer power and explosiveness of the band’s music. They delivered a lush collection of songs that deserved to be heard by more than the sparse crowd that had come to watch the opener.
Once the sky had darkened, The Decemberists took the stage to a hilarious prerecorded introduction by Sam Adams, mayor of Portland ““ the city from which the band hails. After encouraging the audience members to introduce themselves to one another, but not to “be awkward about it,” he asked them to imagine they were in the Pacific Northwest, wearing “a pretty nice parka.” The introduction fit nicely with the show’s outdoor setting and the brightly lit silhouettes of pine trees that lined the back of the stage.
The Decemberists kept the audience on its toes, immediately launching into a set of songs pulled mainly from its most recent release ““ the folk rock album “The King Is Dead” ““ but also generously touching upon the band’s other main releases and EP’s.
The heaviest rock moments came during performances of songs from “The Hazards of Love.” Guest vocalist and violinist Sara Watkins sang for band regular Jenny Conlee, who is battling breast cancer, on “Won’t Want For Love” and displayed a voice that had more of a rock edge than the original song recording.
The Decemberists’s music is known for its storytelling and transportive power and, in this respect, the band did not disappoint; its set list ranged from ballads about the snow to sweeping sagas about espionage in Washington, D.C. to an early 20th century mining song.
Frontman Colin Meloyfilled the time between songs with his droll, comedic charm, repeatedly referring to the crowd as the “People of Griffith Park” and encouraging crowd interaction whenever possible. At one point, he even provoked a spectator who was “blithely eating popcorn” into throwing a few kernels at him.
“I hope there’s a lot of chardonnay being quaffed,” he said. “I hope there’s as much being drunk as at a Joni Mitchell concert.”
The show closed with the 10-minute-plus epic “The Mariner’s Revenge Song.” While the band acted out lyrics from the song, the entire audience swayed side to side as if on a ship rocking on a stormy sea. Guitarist Chris Funk then signaled for the audience to scream as if being swallowed by a whale, and the whole band fell to the floor.
The show was a complete package ““ one part music, one part theater, and one part stand-up comedy. It was completely entertaining in every respect, exactly what one would expect from a night with The Decemberists.
