For those of you who don’t know:
It’s a bold statement, yet one that rings true. Case in point, handing us seats to the triple bill in God’s very own private venue, The Hollywood Bowl, showcasing none other than indie powerhouses Band of Horses, Andrew Bird, and The Decemberists.
While everyone else was clamoring for all that Live Earth boo-boo,1 SRO represented down here in Southern Cali. Snapping pictures, drinking wine, and taking in the exceptional sights and sounds so we could share it all with you cats. Whoop-de-woo WHAT!! So for as long as your break/lunch/downtime lasts, peep some words, photos, and even a couple videos that we’ve culled together in order to bring our goodness to you. (Insert thanks to the almighty here.)
Full show-recap, exclusive pictures, and suspect video after the jump!
Note: Due to the extraordinary amount of solid photos we’ve provided, we’ve decided to tell our story in short captions underneath each picture to give y’all a brief-yet-satisfying2 peek into such a glorious evening. We could tell you everything, but then, that wouldn’t leave much to the imagination now would it?
Band of Horses
As far as spectacle goes, you won’t find that as one of BOH’s strong suits. At least not in this setting anyways as I’m sure all bands were warned about their behavior in God’s backyard.
Still, singer Ben Bridwell’s pipes carried in the large setting, and although they couldn’t spark a riot with this crowd, they slayed nonetheless with a combo of jams including “Funeral”, “Our Swords”, and “The Great Salt Lake”.
Andrew Bird
With many people here just as psyched to see him as much as the Decemberists, it seemed as though Bird took that energy and ran with it. Powered by his spinning Janus Horn Specimen Speaker Bird plucked and played his way into the hearts of the choir and the non-believers.
As he killed his way through recent tracks like “Fiery Crash”, “Imitosis”, and “Plasticities” we suddenly noticed something lying on the floor next to him in front of his Black and White striped Gramo-speaker
A-ha! Pay no attention to the feet behind the curtain! The almighty Jumbo Screen solved the case of the secret to Bird’s performance. Any man there hoping to score with the chicks, suddenly saw their dreams of cute indie chicks go up in flames, as the ladies immediately fell in love with the striped stocking singer. We heard they were gonna sell them after the show, but alas, no luck. We’ll get our fashion editor on this item and have her track the trend.
The Decemberists
Ahh yes, the main event, and what an event it was. To kick things off we’ll get the goods outta the way first. Starting with the setlist and then a nice link to a little playlist we found with most of the songs watchable on youtube. Kids, start your iPhones! Also, for those without much time on their hands at the moment, we’ve also embedded 3 choice videos as our picks of the night. Hunt them down like easter eggs!
Setlist:
“The Crane Wife 1 & 2″
“The Infanta”
“We Both Go Down Together”
“Bagman’s Gambit”
“Odalisque”
“The Perfect Crime #2″
“Los Angeles, I’m Yours”
“Tain (Parts i, ii, iii, iv, v)”
“O Valencia!”
“I Was Meant For The Stage”
“Chimbley Sweep”
Decemberists Playlist Hollywood Bowl 7-7-7
There’s nothing up Colin’s sleeves tonight folks. The boy and his band came ready to rock and the LA Philaharmonic came ready to roll.
After the lengthy ‘Crane’ intro, Meloy worked his charm across the audience reminding us also to keep all hands and feet inside the venue at all times and make sure our seatbelts were fastened.
Why does everyone look like a midget in this shot?
Don’t worry fellas, little Jenny was there keeping an eye on Meloy and her boards, whilst making all the indie boys blush with her innocent smiles.
“The Infanta”
You might not’ve known this, but “The Infanta” is basically a movie score waiting to trump the theme to Indiana Jones. Dear lord, the drums, the strings, the brass. We’re calling it now, the orchestral version should be in a movie. Someone get back to me on that.
Every now and then we took a step back to realize how immense the setting was and what a sight the band in such a magnificent structure was to behold.
As expected, Colin couldn’t keep stuck behind the stage and struck out on his own amidst those God loves more. Just outside the Super Orchestra section, he unplugged and mimed his way as Funk stood in for sound.
Things didn’t go as smooth as I’m sure the boys would’ve liked them to, but the crowd dug it as you can see from one of many thousands of flashes to go off throughout the night.
Such a guitarhead…
The end of his mid-stage romp, this picture just makes some of us here at the lab chuckle. It’s almost cartoonish.
“Los Angeles I’m Yours”
We’ve seen “Los Angeles I’m Yours” live a few times, but tonight, it had the most meaning and there was not a single person who didn’t feel some sort of pride rush through them as the song began.
Congrats to Colin’s sister for getting married. However, I don’t care who you are, how you gonna miss that ceremony Colinboy!? No wonder you’re on the floor!
As this game went, they all fell down. The beginning of the end was spelled out on the floor as the orchestra looked on in wonder at the kids rolling around on the floor. We said, “If Jenny saw fit to hit the deck, then so be it.”
Not that he needed to, Colin still took the time to give the Phil some props and the crowd didn’t hesitate with their thanks. A big one from us as well for a job more than well done.
“Chimbley Sweep”
As far as endings go, you really can’t go wrong with “Chimbley Sweep”, followed by the thousand iPhone salute to the band, basically sealed the deal. Are there better pictures taken of this event? Kinda. Do we like this shot with the crazy light swirls best? You know it.
Unfortunately, we must end on a semi-sour note, as we were left a bit disappointed. Not about the quality of the show, because it was far superior to many a show we’ve seen, but because of the complete neglection3 of “Mariner’s Revenge”. We’ve seen The D a number of times, none of which did they play that song and although this was probably the most perfect setting to bust it out and decimate the entire city of L.A., it was once again passed over. We’re not sure what it is, but we’re not gonna take this lying down. Lady and Gentlemen, your audience speaks and we say “Play the God forsaken song already!” We know we aren’t the only ones to want this, and we’re not hating, we just wanna see one of the greatest songs ever crafted performed right in front of our lovelorn eyes. Play our song and you shall hear our cry:
“Viva Los Decemberists!”
**Setlist courtesy Amateur Chemist by way of Stereogum. Thanks yo!
Photos taken by George Wager III, Dakota Jett, and The Los
- Seriously, how great could it be if they skipped Los Angeles. C’mon Al Gore, I thought you knew!
- That’s what she said! Boom!
- Is that a word?
I was there too! http://flickr.com/photos/starbright31/sets/72157600727784631/
That’s weird, my whole comment didn’t post. Anyway, I wanted to add that the original setlist for the night had both 16 Military Wives and Mariner’s Revenge, but I think it was cut due to the curfew there. Damn…that would’ve been great to see the whale!
Hey renee, how did you know about the setlist, if I may?
Hi Los, my friend took a picture of it from a lucky fan who got the setlist for the D’s: http://flickr.com/photos/eudaemonia/752419139/
fabulous show review, los. that’s quality.