Decemberists' Hazards Makes Sense In Concert

Kool Haus

Toronto, ON

on Aug 3 2009

Zack Vitiello (CHARTattack)

08/04/2009 4:23pm

By now we all know The Decemberists' most recent release, The Hazards Of Love, was first conceived as a stage-piece. Unsure of its plausibility, however, Colin Meloy and company slated the hefty record as a "rock opera" — a convoluted story of two doomed lovers and the evil forces working against them.

While Hazards is an interesting listen, finding the band tearing into new territories (including metal sludge) with expert prowess, the underlying storyline is damned tricky to understand. Meloy voices several characters and the female vocal parts often bleed together, so the tale slips by as you struggle to figure out what's going on.

That said, Hazards works a whole lot better in a live setting than on record. That's not to say those who didn't know the story beforehand came away from last night's show at the Kool Haus able to recite a detailed plot synopsis, but those with a vague idea (myself included) certainly found themselves enlightened.

The Decemberists played Hazards in entirety, starting with the opening notes of the prelude and playing for over an hour without a pause before reaching the heart-wrenching finale of "The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned)." The five core members were joined by Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), who respectively voice Hazards' heroine, Margaret, and the malevolent Forest Queen.

With Stark and Worden both present, each dressed in billowing, bejeweled gowns, it was always clear which character was narrating the story. Stark donned a loose, white outfit complete with headpiece to represent the pure and innocent Margaret, while Worden brought the evil queen to life with short, choppy black hair and a sexy black dress.

The ladies absolutely stole the show, with Stark shining as she swayed on "Won't Wait For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)," and Worden commanding the audience with sinister, writhing movements throughout "The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid." One was left wondering if Stark was awarded her voice by some mystical forest deity, and the notion Worden sold her soul to the ruler of some deranged underworld in exchange for her pipes didn't seem that unlikely.

Meloy, who played both the story's hero, William, as well as the murderous Rake, kept a straight, stern face while in character and banter was positively non-existent. (It would later be revealed the real Meloy is as big a funnyman as the Rake is a dirty sonuvabitch).

The night's highlight came when Meloy abandoned William for the first time on "The Rake's Song," slipping into rogue persona as he lost the tie and blazer. It was shocking to see the loveable frontman become engulfed by the menacing character, but the evil seeped through his voice with such ferocity that it was easy to forget it was in fact The Decemberists on stage.

In addition to the newfound clarity of the storyline, seeing Hazards performed live shone light on what a beautifully paced piece of music it is. While some of the slower numbers tend to drag on album, the quiet songs were immediately resuscitated with the thick, crushing metal riffs that are strategically placed throughout the hour-long work.

As the final notes of Meloy's magnum opus reverberated through the industrial bunker that is the Kool Haus, the idea of seeing The Hazards Of Love delivered as stage-piece no longer seemed preposterous.

After a 15-minute, buzz-killing intermission, all The Decemberists had to do was strum the opening chords to "The Crane Wife 3" to get the audience back into it. The epic opener off 2006's The Crane Wife was followed by the gypsy folk-tune "Shiny." Meloy then orchestrated a massive audience singalong for the uproarious ending of their first single, "Billy Liar."

The second set of songs found the five-piece going back to the basics that have made them such a massive success. Two brand new songs were not far from the brooding nautical tales of 2002's Castaways And Cutouts, and "The Sporting Life" — dug up from 2005's Picaresque and introduced by Meloy as "the true events about a sixth-grade boy who will remain unnamed at a YMCA soccer camp" — was an obvious crowd-favourite.

No longer in character, Meloy was free to engage in some surprisingly hilarious between-song banter. He introduced his self-proclaimed "worst song ever" — the 45-second "Dracula's Daughter" — and expressed his hatred for the ditty by calling it "ambience music from the seventh level of hell."

The band redeemed themselves from the ridiculousness of what may actually be the worst song ever with an incredible rendition of "O Valencia!" the catchiest track from The Crane Wife, before bursting into a cover of Heart's "Crazy On You." The band were rejoined by Stark and Worden, and the ladies delivered one of the most phenomenal vocal performances I have seen since... well, probably ever.

A two-song encore featured the haunting, accordion-driven "Eli, The Barrow Boy," while "Sons & Daughters" served as a truly stunning and massively-climactic finish. As the stirring refrain ("Here all the bombs they fade away") echoed through the sold-out venue, it was clear why The Decemberists can put out an album as bewildering as The Hazards Of Love and still maintain their following.

Here's what The Decemberists played:

The Hazards Of Love:
"Prelude"
"The Hazards Of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle The Thistles Undone)"
"A Bower Scene"
"Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)"
"The Hazards Of Love 2 (Wager All)"
"The Queen's Approach"
"Isn't It A Lovely Night?"
"The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid"
"An Interlude"
"The Rake's Song"
"The Abduction Of Margaret"
"The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing"
"Annan Water"
"Margaret In Captivity"
"The Hazards Of Love 3 (Revenge!)"
"The Wanting Comes In Waves (Reprise)"
"The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned")

Second Set:
"The Crane Wife 3"
"Shiny"
"Billy Liar"
"Down By The Water" (New Song)
"Make It To Ten" (New Song)
"The Sporting Life"
"Dracula's Daughter"
"O Valencia!"
"Crazy On You" (Heart cover)

Encore:
"Eli, The Barrow Boy"
"Sons & Daughters"