The Decemberists are on the road in support of their critically acclaimed ninth studio double-album ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’ that was released on June 14th. Hitting the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA on Saturday night, the band kicked off the set with a pair of acoustic songs, “All I Want Is You” from the new album and “The Shankill Butchers” from ‘The Crane Wife’. They proceeded into their full band setup, performing “The Bachelor And The Bride”, “Don’t Carry It All” and the newer track “Burial Ground”. The band was tight and had the crowd engaged and singing along throughout the set, especially during “O Valencia!” that lead singer Colin Meloy gave a shout-out to San Francisco for the street’s namesake location. Generations of fans were in attendance who gave the band lots of energy and enthusiasm during “I Was Meant for the Stage”, especially when he came into the crowd to sing and say hello. It was a highlight that punctuated the fact that The Decemberists are just as strong, entertaining and popular now as when they had first come out over twenty years ago.
