Since I missed COLIN MELOY’s solo shows last year at the much-smaller (and now sadly gone) Fez, I decided to check him out this year. I expected a mixture of old and new songs from his band THE DECEMBERISTS as well as covers and some other odds and ends. And essentially that’s what I got. First, though, two openers hit the stage.
The first opener, AMY ANNELLE of THE PLACES, was a sort of non-descript, generic female singer-songwriter who’s opened for Colin and The Decemberists in the past. She seemed really shy, and, frankly, not quite ready for a venue the size of Town Hall. Honestly, the highlight of her set was a nice cover of the BOB DYLAN classic “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”
The second opener was LAURA VEIRS. I’d heard much about her since the release of her most recent album Year of Meteors last year, and now I see why. Taking the stage with only her guitar, she’s a folksy singer-songwriter with a strong voice, interesting lyrics (at least the ones I could make out; one song was about cave exploration, or so she said at least) and a nice flair for melodies. Others have compared her to SUZANNE VEGA, though I’m not sure if I agree. Towards the end of her set, she played several songs where she harmonized with herself, thanks to a tape machine or sampler of some sort. She also frequently sang off-mic, taking advantage of Town Hall’s absolutely pristine and wonderful acoustics. On one occasion she even played from the floor, while she harmonized with herself.
And then, with a minimal amount of time for a changeover (one of the advantages of a show where all of the performers play solo with only a guitar), Colin Meloy came on. For his set, the stage was adorned with a table that held a few props, appropriately enough for the frontman of the theatrically-minded Decemberists. The props were, in order: a sheep, a skull, and a ship. In funny fashion, he gave them all names, and said that they represent life, death, and ships.
Opening with a song from his old band TARKIO, he played a combination of songs from The Decemberists catalog (including “We Both Go Down Together,” “The Engine Driver,” and “On the Bus Mall,” from last year’s stunning album Picaresque), a few covers, and a few new songs as well, including one about becoming a father. Just like last year’s tour, when he sold an EP of MORRISSEY covers, this time he decided to record a few songs by ‘60s UK folk revivalist SHIRLEY COLLINS at home and sell copies of the EP at the shows. Of these, he played “Barbara Ellen” and “Turpin Hero.” For “Barbara Ellen,” he was joined by JOHN WESLEY HARDING
(who I spotted earlier in the evening talking to LOU REED and LAURIE ANDERSON in the back of the orchestra section). To conclude the main set, he finished with “California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade,” which segued nicely into a segment of THE SMITHS’ immortal “Ask” before going back into “Youth and Beauty Brigade.” For the encore, he played “Red Right Ankle,” from 2004’s Her Majesty, and closed with “The Bandit Queen,” a song left off of Picaresque but recently released on Picaresquities, a bonus EP that came with the vinyl re-release of Picaresque.
Overall, it was a very satisfying show, since it was a chance to see Colin Meloy in a solo setting. Though he’s now too popular to play in places like Fez, Town Hall is the perfect bigger venue for him to play, with its great sound and history of folk performances (Bob Dylan in the early ‘60s comes to mind). The only thing that would’ve made the night better is if he would’ve played “Eli, the Barrow Boy,” which was requested several times by a persistent fan in the balcony. But with this evening’s embarrassment of riches, that’s a very minor quibble.
