The Decemberists could hardly have devised a more appropriate title for their latest album than As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again. After six years without new music, their 2024 drop showed the band to be as thoughtful and dynamic as it ever was, and put it back on the road again.
That return to touring saw frontman Colin Meloy and his crew of Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and John Moen—along with live support from Lizzy Ellison and Victor Nash—captivate a packed house at The Bellwether in downtown Los Angeles across consecutive mid-July nights of sentimental songs with a pleasant helping of interactive antics.
The Decemberists’ new LP, which Meloy has described as the band’s best, figured prominently into the second night’s setlist. As It Ever Was entered the fray early on, as Colin crooned “The Black Maria” while lit only by two rows of vine-wrapped, bulb-topped poles that descended toward center stage.
Later on, once the house lights were in full effect, The Decemberists went back to drawing fresh water from their deepest of sonic wells. Through the midsection of the set, the band embarked on a run of new material that began with “Burial Ground”, in all of its Beach Boys “Sloop John B”-esque splendor—and with a facetious apology from Meloy for making light of malaria in song.
His dark and dry wit continued apace from there. He invoked images of “agriculture and death” with “The Reapers” before bringing more macabre classism to bear during “Oh No!”
The Decemberists turned to As It Ever Was for their encore, as well. The experimental opus of “Joan in the Garden” served as an engrossing sendoff to a performance that touched just about every corner of the band’s repertoire. There were the contemplative acoustic vibes of “Leslie Anne Levine”, “Carolina Low”, and “Burying Davy” early on, when the lights inside The Bellwether were still dim. “Don’t Carry It All” lent a more jubilant tone to the evening, thanks in part to some Tom Petty-style harmonica. So, too, did the upbeat “The Sporting Life”, which concluded with an outro of The Smiths’ “This Charming Man”.
In the spectrum between those styles came the first title track from Meloy’s defunct stage musical The Hazards of Love, references to Japanese folklore in “The Crane Wife 3”, the quasi-industrial heft of “Severed”, and the epic (and eclectic) musical journey of “The Island”.
No matter the subject matter of the songs, Colin did his part to bring his signature brand of snarky levity to the proceedings, with the band playing along. In addition to his aforementioned jokes, he goaded Chris Funk and Victor Nash into a battle of brass players by demanding that they compete over high school marching band standards. Instead, the two of them provided wimpy, uninspiring notes, which Colin sarcastically talked up as examples of their skill in the group.
To close out the main set, Meloy used “16 Military Wives” to set up what turned out to be a tongue-in-cheek bit of call-and-response. In order to split the room into singing halves, he descended from the stage and walked into the crowd to clearly delineate one from the other. He then proceeded to have each half take turns singing the refrain of “La de da de da de-dadedade-da.”
Taken altogether, it was clear that the half-dozen years that The Decemberists had lain fallow did nothing to diminish their spirit, skill, and distinctiveness as a band. If anything, the time outside the spotlight seems to have reinvigorated them, with a form that might best be described as triumphant, if not for the group’s own cheeky ethos.
Anyone who’s missed The Decemberists’ presence all these years would do well to catch them on what’s left of their A Peaceable Kingdom tour, with upcoming dates across the Mountain West and Pacific Coast before a trip to London in late August for All Points East. And if you’re new to The Decemberists, now is as good a time as any leap into their quirky world of historical (and occasionally hysterical) indie folk.
The Decemberists – “Joan in the Garden” – 7/15/24
[Video: John Ziegwied-Front & Center Concert Videos]
The post The Decemberists Return To Form With Back-To-Back Brilliant Shows At The Bellwether In L.A. [Recap/Photos] appeared first on L4LM.
