March 30, 2005
The Decemberists
Well, my first concert back in the states was quite the successful event. It's so nice to be back and to hear excellent live music, and there's no better band to start off with than the Decemberists. I saw them last March when they came. I had only heard Castaways and Cutouts briefly, but seeing the band in concert completely converted me, and I quickly found that I must listen to them often. "Grace Cathedral Hill" graced every CD compilation made for that year. Anyway, I was just super excited about seeing them again in concert, especially because I had missed their interim stop in SLC.
I was really nervous at first because the place was *packed* when we got there, which for some reason came as a surprise. We only heard the last song of the opening band, and then made our way up to the front in between sets. Luckily, we squeezed into a pretty sweet spot, even if it was the place that every photographer in the crowd came to for brief periods of time. I had perfect views of Colin, Petra, and Jenny, and could see the guys at the far end of the stage pretty well, though I wasn't close enough to get any really good pictures. I was so glad to be right up at the front because really what I love about this band is the dynamics between them. I totally fell for Colin at the first show. He's just so crushable. But another reason this concert was so fun was the company. We had our own little group of swabbies. And April had a fan.
I felt completely satisfied with the show. I loved the drums, the screaming, the stomping, the albatross call, the "Wuthering Heights" cover song. I swooned over Colin's little smiles and his cover of "I've Changed My Plea to Guilty." I bought a t-shirt (even if my rent check will bounce this month - it was worth it). And I got to take some pictures. Although, I'm not quite as satisfied with them. They turned out pretty grainy, but ... eh, good enough. Enjoy:
