Concert Review/Photos: The Decemberists @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (Md.) 6/4
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Let me be clear about two things.
Let me be clear about two things:
1. The Decemberists are one of my favorite bands and
2. Merriweather Post Pavilion is one of my favorite amphitheaters.
Counting this show, I have seen Colin Meloy and company a dozen times. They were as tight and entertaining as ever and played one of my favorites from the new record (“Cavalry Captain”) as well as a rousing version of one of their mini-rock operettas (“The Island”). The venue itself is what amphitheaters should be: stylish, with vibrant acoustics, unlike a certain deadweight behemoth across the Delaware River. And despite an opening set from a performer whose appeal has thus far escaped me — Father John Misty, with his feigned indifference and irony — this show was great. That is, if it weren’t for a single person who ruined it for me.
After shooting the usual three songs, I took my seat. But there was a splash of beer or (hopefully not) another substance hitting my head. I turned around and saw nothing to suggest it was intentional. I stood for many songs, despite the fact that many in my section close to the front were not, even though others in other sections were standing. (At a recent Decemberists show at the Academy of Music, the overwhelming majority of the audience stood for the duration). And then came another hint of liquid. A few more great songs came and went and then someone said, “Sit down” followed by a colorful metaphor I care not to share. I retorted with my own and for the first time in hundreds of shows, there was hostility directed at me. It’s not the kind of thing you’d expect from a band known for their 19th-century dirges and ballads. How disarming for someone to show such hatred and for many around him to seem so oblivious to it, as nary a reaction came, other than from two nearby gents showing support for me. At a certain point, when liquid came my way once more, I took it no longer and departed to the back of the crowd. And what do you know? Everybody there was standing and joining in the joy of “16 Military Wives” and “O Valencia!”
Obviously, this was isolated but quite disturbing. I still deeply love The Decemberists and do not mind the two-hour drive to Columbia, Maryland, to see them. But to those passive aggressive few have no issues with ruining somebody’s evening, please think twice next time. Presumably, we’re all there because we like the same music and want to have a good time.
For more photos by Chris Sikich, see sikichphotography.com.
