Last night’s performance by The Decemberists (accompanied by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard. I liked them ever since I heard “The Kingdom of Spain” (a gem I found on a compilation LP from Acuarela Records). Wow. The complex, literate stories in their songs are perfect for string & wind compositions. Just, wow. And the curtain call performance (though they did an encore) of “I Was Meant for the Stage” was brilliant. The lyrics suggest a bit of arrogance, but when you hear it sung (especially w/ all those violins in the background) it had an impressive tone of honest self-assurance, of someone who knows exactly who he is, w/o any need for pretense or fake humility. Wow.