Colin Meloy with Eleanor Friedberger at the Woman's Club of Minneapolis, 11/13/13

I'm in my ninth year of devout Decemberists fandom. There is something about the storytelling, the melodies, the little guitar hooks, the accordion and harmonica and melodica -- hell, just about everything about it appeals to me. I especially adore all of that prog-rock complexity reduced to Colin Meloy with a guitar. I've traveled to see Decemberists shows in Maryland, Texas, Washington state, and London, England -- accordingly, there was little that could have stopped me from seeing Colin Meloy play in my own backyard.

This was my second visit to The Woman's Club of Minneapolis (the first was to see Ben Gibbard with Advance Base). Very little about the venue appeals to me. They have tragically little parking, and are located in a neighborhood plagued with "residents only, violators will be towed" signs, so you have to get there ridiculously early in order to be able to leave your car somewhere. This is tragic because it's a seated-only venue, so there's really no reason to get there obsessively early (as I normally do). I really don't like seated shows, but they have their charms -- namely, that you aren't exhausted and thirsty by the time the opener finishes their set. What really turned me off of the venue, this time, was the sexism of a bartender. There was a sign on the bar advertising a drink called "The Big Ginger" -- when I asked about it, rather than telling me it was Irish whisky and ginger ale (and that's all it was), the bartender gave me a really patronizing explanation of what whisky was like, complete with the information that this particular whisky was, "designed to be more delicate on a woman's palate". I am almost sure he was trained to say that, given the venue and the kind of women I am sure join a "woman's club", but it was infuriating. I am glad they seem to get so few shows that interest me.

Eleanor Friedberger opened. She's the lead singer for the Fiery Furnaces, a band I'd never heard before. The first song was really promising -- she'd put this really wavery pedal on her electric guitar, and was just hand-picking it and singing. It was only after a few songs that I began to feel that all the songs had the same cadence, similar melodies, and similar guitar parts. There were diminishing returns after the first song.

Colin was delightful. There was only a card table with a bottle of red wine and a single glass with him on stage (and the crowd was weirdly pre-occupied with his drinking the wine). He's funny, live, and his singing (which I sort of adore) suffers not at all live when compared to his recordings. The stage banter was largely about propriety in the Woman's Club. He opened with a song I hadn't heard before, but very much in the vein of "I Was Meant for the Stage" (one of my favorites). It's called The Singer Addresses His Audience, and that's basically what happens in the song. I'll be interested to see whether it comes out in a future recording. Next was "July, July", a summer anthem if I ever had one. Next, he sang a song meant to convince his son, Hank, to eat -- it had two verses that consisted of one line each, repeated ("Hank! Eat your oatmeal!" and "Hank! Eat your naan bread!"). It was funny, and an interesting glimpse into the home life of a musician. I think it would be weird to have Colin Meloy as your father -- I mean, all kinds of parents sing to their kids, but not all parents have live audiences to tell about it. The song to Hank segued nearly perfectly into Calamity Song, which is one of those things Colin Meloy does well, live -- he's pretty great at knitting two songs together.

Oceanside was a highlight of the night, for me. I played that song at an open mic night at an Irish bar in Bordeaux, France, once. I listened to it over and over in Norman, my freshman year of college. It brings up all kinds of memories for me, and that's the best kind of song.

Colin Meloy does an EP of cover songs for every solo tour he does. This time, it was The Kinks, and he played "Do You Remember Walter?" on stage. "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)" was the only electric number, complete with headbanging.

"Bus Mall" is the most romantic song ever written about runaway (male) teen prostitutes -- but then it might be the only one. Regardless, it's one of my favorite songs, and definitely was my favorite moment of the show.

"Philomena" was a new song that Colin mentioned may never be released -- it's pretty bawdy, about an apparently Victorian man lusting after a girl. "All that I'd wanted in the world was just to live to see a naked girl," says the character, "but I found I quickly bored -- I wanted more!" The chorus is "If only you'd let me go down". It's very Decemberists.

"Lake Song" was also new. That was followed by "Apology Song", which I've always hoped was a true story. And it is. The song is about watching a friend's bicycle while he was away in England for the summer and managing to get it stolen -- and apparently the song was literally written as an apology and meant to be sung over the phone to the friend in question. I was just really pleased to find this out.

He ended with "Bandit Queen" (much like it happened on Colin Meloy Sings Live!, rambling scenario about a desert campfire and all). After the pause, the encore was all three parts of "The Crane Wife", partially with the aid of a loop pedal. The show was delightful, and you should catch one if you can.

Here's the full setlist:

The Singer Addresses His Audience
July, July
(Hank, Eat Your Oatmeal)
Calamity Song
The Soldiering Life
Oceanside
Do You Remember Walter? (The Kinks cover)
June Hymn
Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
Engine Driver
Bus Mall
Philomena
Lake Song
January Hymn
Apology Song
Bandit Queen
--
The Crane Wife 3
The Crane Wife 1 & 2