Decemberists @ Hammerstein 11/3: Joy to the World

I have been a big Decemberists fan for a couple of years now. Due to living out of the country for most of that time, I have never been able to see Colin Meloy and gang in person. It was worth the wait.

Colin Meloy divides the crowd into a sing-a-long competition. At the beginning of the encore, he also staged a mock battle in the middle of the audience with members of The Decemberists.

Despite knowing that I missed some incredible smaller shows, I loved the large crowd vibe that Meloy created at Hammerstein. It takes a talented performer to create an intimate atmosphere in such a big space. Meloy's endearing banter (he pointed to his mother in the crowd towards the end) coupled with the sing-a-long nature of the the Decemberists' songs had the crowd clapping, shouting and generally acting as putty in his hands.

The group played most of the new album, The Crane Wife, excluding only 'When The War Came' and 'Summersong' but including the unreleased 'Culling of the Fold'- which may just be my favourite new song. 'Culling of the Fold' is a foot stomping, Russian folk inspired nasty romp through death. It is not on the new album and not available on itunes but you can get here courtesy of The Yellow Stereo: 'Culling of the Fold'

Few of the older songs were played, which I think is testament to the strength of the new album. The older tracks played included 'We Both Go Down Together,' 'Song for Myla Goldberg,' '16 Military Wives,' 'A Cautionary Song,' 'Red Right Ankle,' 'The Engine Driver,' and closing out the main set, 'Sons and Daughters.' 'I Was Meant for the Stage,' ended the encore in soaring, uplifting fashion. Piling out onto Times Square, it was like we had just come from a Broadway musical.