Review: The Decemberists/Andrew Bird/Band of Horses

7/7/7, Los Angeles: With long-form orcehstral pop songs already a major part of the band’s oeuvre, Portland’s The Decemberists were a perfect match for the Hollywood Bowl orchestra who accompanied them Saturday at the Bowl. The group was able to harness the full power of the orchestra far more successfully than past performers at the venue such as Air and Belle and Sebastian, who underutilized the world-renowned classical group in years past.

Mystifyingly playing only a handful of songs from their latest CD, The Crane Wife, frontman Colin Meloy and his band delighted in playing such a massive (and deservedly famous) venue, and he took ample opportunities to ham it up with faux-rock god shenanigans. At one point, he mimed a guitar solo on the little stage in front of the mainstage as lead guitarist Chris Funk provided the actual riffs. When Meloy’s guitar troubles delayed the show, the band struck up a goofy, lounge-jazz riff while the stagehands sorted out the tech problems. The orchestra added some punched-up horn riffs and some powerful percussion to slow-burners like “O Valencia!” and "The Infanta".

"Los Angeles, I'm Yours", which compares the city to "an ocean’s garbled vomit on the shore", drew hearty applause from the SoCal crowd. The show didn’t really hit full swing, however, until the encore, when the Decemberists cut loose and appeared to be having one hell of a time up there. Pitchfork's got a video and some cool pics posted.

Rounding out the bill were two buzzy bands: Chicago’s Andrew Bird and his two-piece rhythm section (Martin Dosh on drums/keys and Jeremy Ylvisaker on bass) skillfully mix Bird’s multiple musical talents (violin, guitar, whistling) with live sound looping, creating a minor cacophony of orchestral pop, while Seattle’s Band of Horses were stuck with the early opening slot, playing their guitar-soaked indie pop to a largely inattentive crowd still shuffling in while the sun is still shone brightly over the picturesque Hollywood Hills.

And a special fuck you goes out to all the dumbshits talking in Section Q1. Why would you pay money to talk to your idiot friends about nothing when there’s a one-of-a-kind live event unfolding right before your very eyes? Idiots.