Decemberists To Tour With Local Symphonies

The Decemberists are the perfect indie pop band for the bookish, proper, symphony-going set, what with their long, complicated songs in iambic pentameter telling fantastical stories with a hint of myth and parable, often featuring interesting instrumentation and delightful melodies.

The bookstore I used to work at played them all the time, interspersing Picaresque with standard classical music. On a coming five-city tour, the Decemberists will take the leap and actually become a classical ensemble. Or they’ll play with a bunch of orchestras, anyway.

According to NME, the band will tour behind brand new orchestral arrangements of their songs composed by Sean O’Loughlin. They will be joined in each city by the hometown symphony orchestra.

The tour will stop in:

Los Angeles, Calif., The Hollywood Bowl, with the LA Philharmonic (July 7)
Atlanta, Ga., Chastain Park, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (July 13)
Columbia, Md., Merriweather Post Pavillion, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (July 14)
Philadelphia, Penn., Mann Center, with the Mann Symphony Orchestra (July 15)
Chicago, Ill., Grant Park Music Festival, with the Grant Park Orchestra (July 18)

The Decemberists will also be making stops this summer at Bonnaroo and as part of the Central Park Summerstage in New York City. They will then head to Europe this coming fall. There's always been an elevated air to their music. Now it's time to see if they cut the mustard with a real live symphony orchestra. Should be interesting, could be lots and lots of fun.