The Decemberists go orchestral at the Hollywood Bowl

07/08/2007 5:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Lyndsey Parker

The Decemberists' guitarist Chris Funk once memorably jammed with Stephen Colbert and Peter Frampton on The Colbert Report, but that was nothing compared to the stunning spectacle of seeing the entire band backed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, July 7.

Playing the first of the five special orchestral shows planned in the U.S., the Oregon indie-rockers treated the sold-out Bowl crowd to a grandiose 80-minute, 11-song set, with eight of the numbers gorgeously accompanied by the L.A. Philharmonic (conducted by Mark Watters).

"This is an amazing opportunity," beaming Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy told the 17,000 fans in attendance, "having spent hours upon hours trying to reconstruct little orchestras in the studio--with just one string player!" Clearly enjoying himself, Meloy later advised the audience, "If you ever start a rock band, I advise you play here!"

The Decemberists' music--which on their records has ambitiously combined prog, flamenco, Celtic folk, klezmer, and sundry other styles--seemed to lend itself uniquely to the orchestral format this evening, with highlights including a majestic spaghetti-western-soundtrack rendition of "Infanta," the Spectorian "We Both Go Down Together," the Bond-theme-esque "Odalisque," and "Los Angeles I'm Yours." The latter song went over extremely well with the L.A. crowd, despite its less-than-flattering lyrics about the city's "hollowness," "vomiting oceans," and smell of "burnt cocaine." The absolutely reverent audience simply cheered with delight.

The centerpiece of the concert, however, was "The Tain, Parts 1-V," a majestic 18-minute song cycle that involved the band members playfully swapping instruments; at one point Meloy even got behind the drum kit so that drummer John Moen was free to merrily prance about the stage like a ballerina.

The non-orchestral numbers were equally entertaining. For "The Perfect Crime" (preceded by a few minutes of technical difficulties, during which keyboardist Jenny Conlee bided time by jamming on what the band later dubbed "Jenny's Jazz Odyssey"), Meloy hopped in place like an aerobics instructor and jogged a joyous victory lap through the audience; during "16 Military Wives," he requested that concertgoers hold up their illuminated cell phones (judging from how the Bowl lit up like a Christmas tree, it looked like all 17,000 fans complied), then jumped back into the audience and comically mimed along to a wiggly Chris Funk guitar solo on a blatantly unplugged acoustic guitar.

The final orchestra-accompanied number of the night was titled "I Was Meant For The Stage," and judging by this amazing show, truer words have never been sung.

The Decemberists will also play with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Chastain Park in Atlanta on July 13; with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD on July 14; with the Mann Festival Orchestra at the Mann Center in Philadelphia on July 15; and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Millennium Park on July 18.