Maybe it’s just the fact that there’s trees around. It certainly can’t
be the uncomfortable Astroturf over concrete. Whatever it is, Central
Park SummerStage seems to bring out the uninhibited kid in New Yorkers.
It was earlier this week, before the rain (although it threatened to
dampen spirits) and steam explosions and we were all there to have a
good time at Rumsey Field. After Land of Talk left the stage and
Grizzly Bear did their hippie gay thing (really we needed a little more
patchouli and maybe some ‘shrooms to make all of that work), the sun
began to set and The Decemberists came out. It’s still surprising that
Colin Meloy has managed to turn wordy songs with references to
vagabonds, pirates and literary nomenclature into such a crowd pleaser,
but it works. And much of the credit goes to the band’s enthusiasm and
unpretentious nature on stage. They seem to be happy to be up there and
enjoy putting on a rollicking performance.
But during the encore, when he managed to put everyone “to
sleep”—starting with the band, who literally collapsed on the stage—and
convinced the hundreds to also cop a squat on that unforgiving turf
during “The Chimbley Sweep,” Meloy’s true charisma and power were fully
realized.
It was one of those crazy moments that people tell their friends about
later. “You should have been there, everyone really got down on the
ground!” But those moments don’t have to be rare. Tomorrow night Neko
Case takes over the same stage for a free show, and even when she’s not
with her New Porno pals, she knows how to have a good time. But we’ll
just have to wait and see if she gets the kiddies walking around in
circles til they’re crazy during “The Tigers Have Spoken.” We can hope,
can’t we?
Click
here to see more photos of The Decemberists and Grizzly Bear
Photos courtesy of Jonny-Leather[ read more... ]
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