Recap The Decemberists at Overture Hall

Employing an almost identical stage configuration as the one used the last time the band played the Overture Hall in 2009, the version of The Decemberists that came to Madison Tuesday night was definitely not the same band that had almost torn down the joint back then, playing all the way through it prog-rock opera The Hazards Of Love. Add to that the easy nature of the group’s new, stripped-down record, The King Is Dead—but the band generally seemed much more relaxed than what Hazards’ tense narrative had allowed for last time, even though the fan favorite-packed second set at that show was much looser.

Proof of the lighter atmosphere came early as a pre-recorded message from Portland, Oregon Mayor Sam Adams addressed the crowd members, prompting them to meet and greet with neighbors, but warning, “Don’t be creepy about it.” Further proof came during the first encore featuring a goofy, theatrical version of “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” that found multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk leading the audience participation and the rest of the band swaying back and forth, suggesting a ship on the shifting seas.

In between, singer-guitarist Colin Meloy led the band up and down its catalog during a 90-minute set, reaching back to 2005’s Picaresque for “Eli, The Barrow Boy,” stopping at 2006’s The Crane Wife for “The Crane Wife 3” and “O Valencia,” and plucking “The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid” from Hazards, with Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins considerably slaying her vocals. But, even next to Watkins’ dynamic performance, it’s still appropriate to be in awe of how consistently spot-on Meloy delivers his voice in a live setting while still charming the pants off the crowd. He commanded folks to fill in the area in front of the stage—even though security quickly swept them away—led a Hall-wide participatory exercise on the la-di-das in “16 Military Wives,” and even demanded the security guards help with the screaming special effects on “Mariner’s Revenge Song”: “We followed your rules. Now you have to follow ours.”

As if he didn’t already have the crowd eating out of his hand, he temporarily walked offstage and returned with a guitar with a big Wisconsin solidarity sticker plastered on it, which was met with an uproar of approval. “We’re all very impressed with what’s happening here,” Meloy said as the band plowed into the churning “This Is Why We Fight.” It was the high point of a night of high points, like keyboardist-accordionist Jenny Conlee outwardly delighting in her vocal turn on “Mariner’s Revenge Song,” drummer John Moen playing a floor tom and dragging it with one foot as he stumbled around the stage on the same song, and the gorgeous “Calamity Song.” That tune, along with other King standouts like “Don’t Carry It All” and “June Hymn,” proved The Decemberists don’t necessarily need to be touring behind their most ambitious work to deliver a wonderfully compelling show.