daa de daa de diddy diddy da

Last night I saw the Decemberists perform at the Riviera Theatre. They were quite entertaining and sounded as well or better than what recordings I had heard. Colin Meloy sang with his distinctive diphthongs and extended liquids (he-yerrr rather than here, and we-yulll rather than we'll), some of which seemed to require him to jut his head up with his mouth in somewhat odd orientation. Chris Funk added an occasional sound or two to his riffs, and at times the band would abandon their main set of instruments and the play such instruments as the violin or the cello. They played mainly from The Crane Wife, and touring with them was Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, who sang the part of the widowed woman in "Yankee Bayonet." During one song, Meloy quartered the audience into two floor sections, a balcony section, and a bar section and choreographed the singing of the phrase "daa de daa de diddy diddy da," which was terrific fun and got the audience involved. The balcony was especially involved, which surprised me since I would liken that section to a hibernating bear. But Meloy insulted them by calling them lethargic and telling them that they are likely worrying about what DVD to rent on the way home. And so like a woken bear, they became the loudest of the groups, prompting Meloy to call them formidable. If I were to be critical, it would seem the Decemberists were having too much fun, for Meloy botched his words on a couple occasions. But surprisingly, I heard the words live with greater clarity than from the recordings; the exact opposite of what I'm used to. I feel I've typed too much so I'll leave it at that. They do have a motif among their shows apparently, which "initiates" new viewers to a specific song. I'd ruin it for you if I related it here. It was probably the best part of the show, though, so I strongly recommend seeing them.