The Decemberists may have their Hazards of Love shows down to a slick science now, with guitar techs scurrying about the stage, guitar straps outstretched so that the musicians can simply walk right into their next instrument, but that doesn’t make the show any less poignant or enjoyable. Hazards, and the whole idea of performing the album in its entirety on tour, seems to be somewhat divisive amongst Decemberists fans; I think it’s either one of those things that you love, or that you hate. As a fan of (well-executed) concept albums, I’ve been fascinated by Hazards since it was released, so I’m firmly in the “love” camp.
Photo by Kaitlin Montes, from 93xrt.com
While I caught some of their Hazards set at Lollapalooza, there’s something wholly different about seeing it performed onstage at a music hall. At the huge “throw and go” festivals, the band is constrained by a strict set time limit, by weather and timing and pre-set stages and light shows. With Hazards clocking in at just barely under an hour, there’s no room for error in performing it for a festival, leading to a set that, while very tight, can seem almost tense at times. At the Riviera on Thursday night, though, things seemed to flow a bit more naturally.
The stage setup was gorgeous, and perfectly suited to the mysterious nature of the album. A simple white screen hung at the back of the stage, with long gauze-y fabric hanging down. The light setup was fantastic — colored lights illuminated the screen and fabric with just the right colors at just the right times — green while singing about the forest, a gentle blue-green during “Annan Waters” and the final song. A bright white light illuminated Becky Stark as Margaret at times, and with her flowing white dress she simply looked angelic. Everything about the set and light show was obviously well thought out; it’s nice to see these things done with meaning instead of just “hey, look, cool flashing here”.
Continue reading Concert Review: The Decemberists at the Riviera Theatre
