The Decemberists at Point of the Bluff

Julie and I were delighted when we learned that The Decemberists would be coming to our local venue Point of the Bluff for a summer concert.

The lawn setup at Point of the Bluff

This was an experiment for the venue: flip the experience and not use their existing barn concert hall, putting the band on a stage at the bottom of the hill adjacent to the vineyards and have the audience on the grassy slope. Thanks to perfect weather it worked out nicely; we’ve also been to shows there with big storms and this would have been no fun in those conditions.

We last saw them in Portland in 2014 at the Crystal Ballroom (a fundraiser for Victory Academy), and our first experience was 20 years ago on the Crane Wife tour. They never half ass a show. They are professionals, know how to play and sing, and by now have an extensive repertoire.

The Decemberists

After getting some food we relaxed in our camp chairs pretty far up the hill, enjoying the opening act and the first few Decemberists songs. When the first part of the Crane Wife medley started we moved down to the standing area and the show jumped an order of magnitude in fun. It was a big crowd (over a 1,000 I suspect) but never felt crowded. The show concluded with a staple for them: a hilarious crowd-involved production of The Mariner’s Revenge Song.