This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Images from the Twilight Concert Series at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City this Thursday July 21, 2011. Tonight's show featured the Decemberists with Typhoon opening.
Here's David Burger's concert review:
Half-way through The Decemberists' set, frontman Colin Meloy addressed the crowd. He remarked that there was 10 times more crowd-surfing at this show than any other show the decade-old band had played.
"You guys really like entertainment," he said.
A near-record crowd of more than 36,000 roared in approval.
It was a great night of indie-folk Thursday at Salt Lake City's Pioneer Park, during the second night of the free Twilight Concert Series, which continues through Aug. 25.
Opening act Typhoon and headliner The Decemberists — both from Portland, Ore. — delivered more than 2½ hours of crowd-pleasing songs that matched the crowded yet festive atmosphere of the warm evening. The two bands also demonstrated why The City of Roses is currently the breeding ground of some of the best music being made in the country.
The biggest surprise came early as Typhoon — a relatively unheralded chamber-pop ensemble — performed a seven-song, 45-minute set that was a feat of musicianship. No fewer than 13 musicians were onstage, with singer Kyle Morton leading the three horn players, four percussionists and other members of the motley crew. What was remarkable about the ensemble was how connected the players were to one another, while still sounding raw, rootsy and loose, with nearly every band member engaged in the frequent sing-along choruses and clapping their hands during every moment that didn't require them to be fingering their instruments. A sight to see — they looked like a group of college students dressed for a 7 a.m. class on a Monday morning (with their notable lack of socks and ill-fitting tee shirts) — but they played like professors of music.
The band that dressed like professors were The Decemberists, with all the men wearing suits or sports coats, and Meloy sporting his signature thick-framed glasses along with a buzz cut that was as long as his beard.
Founding member Jenny Conlee is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, so former Nickel Creek member Sara Watkins was in her place, singing, playing the fiddle, drumming (at one point), and playing the keys and vibes. (Salt Lake City audiences might remember her from being a featured performer in Garrison Keillor's concert at Red Butte Garden in August 2010, as well as an opening act for Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses in September 2010.) She was able to keep up with the dynamic band, which switched from plaintive country songs such as "Rise to Me" to animated, hard-rocking foot-stompers like "The Rake's Song."
While focusing on the band's most recent album "The King Is Dead," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts earlier this year, the band played songs from throughout its catalog, with a notable highlight being an epic rendition of "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" followed by "The Crane Wife 3."
Several times during the evening, Meloy jokingly told the crowd that the tumultuous, enthusiastic crowd reminded him of a Red Hot Chili Peppers show from 1993. As he said, Utahns really like entertainment.
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Twitter: @davidburger