You all look very smart tonight, says Lavender Diamond‘s Becky Stark in a voice tinted with sincerity, yet teeming with sarcasm.
Well, I should hope so, because it’s book worm night at The Wiltern and the Decemberists are holding an exclusive meeting for the logophiles of Los Angeles.
Lavender Diamond opened with a soothing set sprinkled with witty banter in between songs. I love it when musicians actually realize that they are playing to an audience and engage them every once in a while. It helps to reel you into the music and make the night an experience, instead of just a concert. There aren’t many bands that could be paired up with a band like the Decemberists, but LD fit like a puzzle piece with their earthy, folk-pop tunes.
An imagination is also helpful in immersing oneself in the music, and luckily anyone that finds themselves at a Decemberists show is not short of one. Front man Colin Meloy hails from a literary family, he himself is a self-deprecating, yet published author, as is his sister. Meloy fancies old nautical ditties and wives tales warning us kiddies to listen to our mothers. For those of you who love books on tape (we can smell our own), imagine a double espresso shot of fiction down the ol’ throat in a matter of a few minutes. Mmmmmmtastes damned good too.
Visually, the stage was stunning with a massive backdrop of artwork from The Crane Wife, their latest LP. Massive red paper lanterns lit the stage, creating a tranquil yet at times eerie setting, opening the imagination to The Decemberists’ magic. Highlights of the evening were, of course, “Los Angeles, I’m Yours,” a crowd participatory singing of scales and an encore which a lucky someone’s mother got to listen to via her cell phone in Meloy’s hand. On all fronts, The Decemberists and Lavender Diamond furnished a perfectly whimsical evening in the magical kingdom of angels.
Decemberists, Los Angeles is yours.
