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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I Was There For The Snacks
The Portland-based band has drawn rave reviews from Rolling Stone magazine, which gave their 2005 album Picaresque four and a half stars (out of five), and another four and a half stars for 2007's The Crane Wife.
How many of the people showed up to hear Obama, and how many to hear the band?
(via Southern Beale)
Right after the Decemberists finished their set, everybody left. No, wait, I forgot, when E and I were heading home (a little early, after I'd gotten all the shots of Bam that I wanted, because I had stuff to do before catching my plane), there were only 15,000 people lined up for many, many blocks still waiting around even though they couldn't get in to see Obama, let alone the band.
ntodd
May 20, 2008 | Permalink
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Comments
I would have been there for the sweat and the mud pit and the chicks baring their breasts. Oh, wait. Wrong concert.
Never mind.
Posted by: Southern Beale | May 20, 2008 7:29:33 PM
There were plenty of vendors working the line (which stretched for over fifteen blocks in the hot sun for hours before the gate opened) selling Obama shirts, Obama pins, and other Obama stuff. No Decembrists goodies was being pushed along the line.
Posted by: darrelplant | May 21, 2008 3:20:29 AM
Atrios has tagged you guys, very aptly
Posted by: waldo | May 21, 2008 3:33:52 AM
Because, of course, people in Portland hardly ever get a chance to see The Decemberists play in small-to-medium, reasonably priced, acoustically perfect venues, right? Why, The Decemberists usually only play a few shows there at the start of each tour... and a few shows at the end of each tour... and a few shows every so often in between tours... and the occasional local radio station promo show... and a mere handful of shows every few months in other nearby Pacific Northwest cities. Oh, and solo sets and side projects from the various band members, too, of course.
So naturally, folks in Portland are going to jump at the chance to stand hundreds of yards away from the stage in a crush of people and listen to them through crappy outdoor PA speakers. It all makes perfect sense.
Hell, I've got everything they've put out on CD, have loved them for years, have managed to freakishly miss them every time they've come through Atlanta, and I still wouldn't brave a crowd of 75,000 people to see them perform outdoors somewhere for free.
Them + Barack Obama, though? Yeah, maybe.
Posted by: Ray Radlein | May 21, 2008 3:36:40 AM
Mild quibble: shouldn't you include a little 'via sobeale' phrase there or something? The rw mewling is from newsbusters, not that site, which is passing it on and mocking it.
Posted by: fourmorewars | May 21, 2008 6:37:57 AM
"Who are these Decemberist cunts?" - John McCain
http://www.decemberists.com/photos.aspx
Posted by: jac | May 21, 2008 7:02:47 AM
FMW - yeah, good point. I was lazy and just linked to her. Fixed.
Posted by: NTodd | May 21, 2008 11:56:41 AM
Buy me stuff off my 
