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Last night's Decemberists show at Millennium Park was the last stop on the band's mini-tour playing with symphonies around the country. The free concert, curated by Metro, had the highest attendance volume of any free show we've ever seen at the park, and although we're bad with guessing crowd sizes, we'd venture to say there were upwards of 10,000 people in and around the amphitheater trying to at least hear a glimpse of sound. And while the band's folky harmonies blended perfectly with the army of stringed instruments in the Grant Park Orchestra, the band's drunken sailor-like stage antics created quite a contrast with the usually serene atmosphere during the park's summer concert series.
Photos and review continue after the jump.
The show had a gentle beginning, and it seemed as if lead singer Colin Meloy had to get his feet wet and warm up to the unfamiliar atmosphere. Looking out into the sea of people, it was clear that this crowd was difficult to wrangle.
While there were hundreds, nay, thousands, of Decemberists fans on the lawn, many of the up-close patrons, holders of Grant Park Music Festival memberships, were clearly unfamiliar with the band, and we noticed quite a few opting to leave after only a couple of songs.
But Meloy finally broke through the barrier, rocking out face up within the first 15 minutes of the show and doing a victory lap down the middle aisle, to the back of the reserved seating, and all the way around to stage left, high fiving shirtless 20-somethings along the way.
Personally, we were enthralled with organist/vocalist/acordianist Jenny Conlee, who was situated directly in front of us. She quietly played the keys, barely even glancing at the audience until the band played their epic 15-minute-long Irish legend "The Tain." But then, her sweet vocals, dripping with sincerity and innocence, almost brought a complete hush to the giant crowd.
And about halfway through "The Tain," the band swapped instruments, with drummer John Moen leaving the kit to play the melodica and Meloy hopping on percussion.
Even though much of the show involved band members rocking out, often horizontally, Decemberists fans know well that their signature sound is awfully mellow and therefore accessible. Meloy said the band's studio recordings usually include one or two string instruments, which are engineered to sound orchestral, and this latest tour has allowed them to hear and play their music as he always imagined it should be. With every song in the set, the endeavor became more successful, building up to the band's jaw-dropping finale "I Was Meant for the Stage." The symphony's carefully placed, swelling strings were endearing and beautiful for the entire set, but by the time the band reached the final song with the symphony, we felt a communal, simultaneous heart-clutch and swoon. Yes, crowds of people from coast-to-coast cry into their soy lattes over these indie rock darlings, and loving them is almost cliche at this point. But seeing them backed by a symphony brought their music alive in a way we could have never imagined.
After the symphony members left their seats and the band returned for an encore, the enormous stage looked empty with the five lone band members remaining. Implying that the atmosphere was a little too stuffy, Meloy invited everyone to rush forward to the stage, causing a minor security hissy fit. (Standing in the aisles at Pritzker Pavillion is almost always prohibited, even though the rules are often broken.)
Just like the sea captains and other salty maritime players The Decemberists often sing about, the band ended the night on the floor after a highly successful encore, which ended just in time, narrowly escaping the thunderstorm.
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This was my third time seeing them live, and the show (despite the insane crowd) was really really good. Their music is always so pretty live, and Meloy is so comfortable and funny on stage. "I Was Meant For the Stage," was AMAZING! It sounded just incredible with the GP orchestra. very awesome (and free!) night indeed!
Love the pics and the review!! Looks like a fun time was had.
I was there, but all the way in the back of the lawn. Couldn't see a thing, but the sound was incredible.
It was my first time seeing them live & I've been looking forward to this basically all summer. They didn't disappoint.
Nice review, also.
Great review! Great pictures! Great show!!
14,000 is the attendance that I heard.
yes!! yes!! what a great show. looks like you were right up in front. it was so wonderful to hear them with an orchestra. when they started the first song, i felt tears at the back of my eyes. managed not to look like a fool and cry, but the sound was visceral and overwhelming in a good way.
loved the lightning background during the final song, "the mariner's revenge song." so perfect. great 'effing show.
Yes, I was blessed with front-row seats, which provided the best view I've ever had at the park and a great shelter from the rain. I truly feel for the hardcores who stuck it out all the way out in the back in the rain. In the front, I felt like they were playing a show just for me, but then I'd turn around and see a never-ending sea of people. It was such a contrast to every other free concert I've seen at Millennium Park.
This was my 5th time seeing them, and I thought it was great. This was also my first time seeing anything at Millenium Park - very nice! I wish the interpretive dancer guys were around to do their take on "The Mariner's Revenge" though - those guys certainly let their freak flags fly!
Well, now I'm even more sad that I had to miss the show :(
I was about 1/3 back in the center of the lawn and could see the stage, not worth taking any photos though. I did get up front for the last couple of songs (of course I was invited to do so) and it was so fun dancing and singing and clapping with everyone. Great show all around. Did get soaked on the bike ride back to civilization, but totally worth it! Great photos!
We were parked dead center on the lawn and could see NOTHING of the stage for all of the people. That said, the sound was FANTASTIC (take THAT, Pitchfork), and a great time was had by everyone around us, dancing, and acting like fools! The rain wasn't much of a factor at all until about 15 minutes after they'd finished... love me some Decemberists!
Thanks to a work connection, my girlfriend and I were able to get seats about 20 rows from the stage, so we were very close (a nice change after "seeing" them at the Riv but not being able to get close enough to actually, you know, SEE them).
The show was great, especially the energy-packed encore, which I loved despite the departure of the orchestra, which otherwise provided a rich backdrop that perfectly suited the band's sound.
I did think the crowd was pretty funny though, especially all the little umbrellas the oldsters brought. I guess it doesn't usually matter if you can "see" the orchestra.
there was a woman in back of me on the lawn who was super PISSED when people stood up (there was a song early on that colin asked people to stand on). i had been dancing since about the second or third song, but this lady was mad that she couldn't see. granted, i love to see bands, too, but they were all mini from where we were. there wasn't much to see. and for the price that we all paid for the ticket, i'm going to dance. hell, i'm going to dance when i pay for a ticket, too. someone retorted to someone else that it was a rock show and this guy (younger, looked like) yelled back "it's NOT a rock show, there's an orchestra." oh. okay. they want people to dance. i don't get the people who are mad when people dance.
and yes, the crazy dancers were hilarious. good for them.
I'll admit, I left after a few songs, so I didn't really give the show a fair chance. But from reading the reviews at the Tribune & Sun Times, I'm glad I didn't waste any more of my time. I've seen the Grant Park Orchestra play many times and last nights performance was by far their worst. I was toward the back on the lawn and the sound was horrible, which is terribly disappointing considering the typically amazing sound quality at Pritzker Pavillion. I wonder if this concert would have been better carried out in an indoor concert hall where the orchestra could stand a little more on its own without having to compete through the sound system with the band. Who really wants to be responsible for mixing dozens of orchestral musicians AND a rock band. Certain parts are bound to get lost in the mix. The orchestration for the first few songs mostly sounded awkward. As a classically trained musician myself, I can tell you that classically trained musicians usually have a lot of trouble playing rock and roll, because it's almost impossible to notate pop music with the appropriate expression and inflection that makes it pop music. Some of the brass parts that I heard just made me cringe. The best moments happened when the orchestra wasn't playing. I am glad, however, that so many people had a good time and enjoyed the show. I'm just wondering if everyone was caught up in the kitschy idea behind the concert rather than hearing the concert for what it was (ohhh an indie rock band is playing with a professional orchestra! this has to be good!).
On the lawn, I thought the sound was shit. The only thing you could hear was Colin's voice. The low end didn't exist, and the orchestra could have been mistaken for just speaker noise. I'm certain it was much better up front, but I got there at about 3:50 and I was still 1/3 of the way back on the lawn. Total musical disappointment.
I still thought it was an awesome experience though, as everyone was in good spirits and the rain was just a sprinkle (until the end).
after making a few rounds and realizing that there was absolutely nowhere i'd be able to see the band, i gave up and decided to just enjoy the music and take some photos of the atmosphere and incredible crowd.
they're here.
maybe you'll see yourself!
hm. and by "here" i mean: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bran/sets/72157600889308961/
i was at the very front of the lawn and the sound was magnificent. maybe i don't have a classically trained ear -- well i know i don't -- but i could hear the orchestra just fine and i was thrilled to hear their music "properly" done. although it was rock enough for me to dance, i definitely think the orchestra was a perfect match for the decemberists' music.
it sounds like people had widely varying experiences.
I agree, it was pretty bad.
"Implying that the atmosphere was a little too stuffy, Meloy invited everyone to rush forward to the stage, causing a minor security hissy fit."
Minor? I've never been yelled at like that by a cop before... but at least I got off the lawn. That said, this was my eighth or ninth time seeing the band, and was by far my favorite. The shitty weather only made the show better - if it had been sunny, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much. Slipping in the damp grass (and I was only slipping because the grass was damp, not because I had a tipple), hoping that the rain would hold out, it all added up to an amazing event. I thought the orchestra sounded great, at least from where I was.
That's interesting, #20, because I was standing between two security guards at the front of the stage. When the rush happened, one of them started yelling about how "you canNOT stand here! you have to move back!" while the other attempted to clear a pathway. But after about 30 seconds of that and realizing the crowd wasn't doing any harm, they gave up. My friend asked one of the guards if the rush was "scary," and the dude, who was about 6'2, 250lbs. replied, "Na man. As long as they touch me, I don't care."
yeah, i heard a guy go ballistic. fking ballistic. no one was trying to get on stage or anything. there was a couple of guys who went up to the side and stood by the fence, and he was pushing them around and screaming in their faces.
i do not believe they had any intention of rushing the stage, just wanted a better spot. and they were sort of clueless and didn't think about what it looked like.
but that guy was crazy over the top.