"Come join the Youth and Beauty Brigade!"

Let the Music Naziism begin!

This post is long overdue, but forgive me. Last month I saw Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, on his live solo album promotional tour at the Somerville Theater. I don't even know where to start. I was blown away, ravished, damn near lost my religion.

The set was great, all Decemberists songs with the exception of a Sam Cooke cover (Sam Cooke getting the latest Colin Meloy solo EP treatment). He started out mellow with Wonder and Shiny, then went into California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade, O Valencia! (interrupted by a snippet of Dracula's Daughter, Colin's worst song ever written lol), Shankill Butchers, Apology Song, The Sporting Life, and a Cautionary Song. Among the highlights, however, were a rare peek at Perfect Crime #1, and a near 15 minute encore which ended with The Mariner's Revenge.

Meloy's singing voice is superb, but that's not what makes the show so great. He is a great MC, and his little VH1 Storyteller segments are entertaining and informative. The show was really interactive, with Colin asking the audience to snap, hum, clap, sing etc. at various songs. He creates a genuine connection with the audience, the fans even helping him with lines on requests.

The Somerville Theater is a piece of garbage. The floor constantly feels like its going to fall through, and the seats move and creak if someone on the opposite end scratches themselves. Staff at the theater are a mixed bag. The usher was helpful enough, and the high school girls at the popcorn stand were nice, but everyone else is a damned snarky hipster philo-major son of a bitch. On the positive end, the acoustics were magnificent and it is a really neat little theater. I had seats in the last row, left balcony and I felt like I was right on top of the performer. Plus, it is probably the only venue in the area where you can get a Harpoon draught or a glass of white wine with your popcorn.

As for the opening act, the sweet Laura Gibson, she was alright. She fit the audience and the music of Meloy, but wasn't anything special. I'm going to sya this now, but I feel like I will be saying this a lot in the coming year: Pretty, Skinny girl + guitar does not a Feist or Cat Power make. I did think it was funny that she admitted one of the songs she was going to play had been rejected for a children's theater performance in rural Oregon - a show directed by her mother lol.

Colin Meloy also gave a really cool sneak peek at the next Decemberists' album. He played two songs, but it really felt like one long track divided into different parts, a la The Island or California One. The first part was about a mother sending her young son to work in a dangerous coal mine, and the second part was a funeral procession for another person who died in said coal mine. On a whole it was great, with the first part really mellow and the second part pretty hard-rockin'. I think the chorus for the second part was "We're Building a Coffin for Davey!"

A few quick observations from the show:
-Is it a law that every acoustic guitar-playing, folk sin singer chick wear a white dress?

-So-Many-Rivers Cuomo Glasses!

-The etching of Sam Cooke on the respective EP is frightening

-If you ever wanted to kill as many hipsters with the least amount of effort, bomb a Colin Meloy show at the Somerville Theater. Please don't though lol.

-Colin's 2 year old son Hank is Hipster music royalty.

Grade: 10/10

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