they sing out, i am gonna stand my ground

With Austin being the “Live Music Capital of the World!” we knew it wouldn’t be long before we found an outdoor concert to go to. We saw that The Decemberists were coming to Stubb’s so we got tickets, even though we’d already seen them live twice before in Chicago. But they’re one of our favorites! So we knew it would be a good show. Stubb’s is a barbeque restaurant with an outdoor stage. It’s standing room only – and you stand in dirt (and unfortunately I wore the wrong shoes that night.) I took note to dress more casually next time. This ain’t Chicago.

Their setlist from 4/30 at Stubb’s in Austin:

Shiny
Calamity Song
Rox In The Box
Rise to Me
We Both Go Down Together
The Bagman’s Gambit
Won’t Want For Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
The Crane Wife 1 & 2
The Crane Wife 3
The Rake’s Song
Don’t Carry It All
Down By the Water
16 Military Wives
This Is Why We Fight

Encore:
Eli, The Barrow Boy
The Mariner’s Revenge Song

Encore 2:
June Hymn

I was thrilled that they played Crane Wife 1, 2 and 3 back to back and my first favorite, 16 Military Wives.

I had commented on Facebook that the concert poster for that night was pretty cool. So, we ended up buying it there as a little momento for our first concert in our new hometown.

We’re suckers for good concert posters. It’ll go along with our Wilco and The Hold Steady posters we’ve had for a few years.

*Blog post title is a lyric from the song “Rise to Me” by The Decemberists

when there’s something worth running for

Last night was a late night, but SO worth it! After dinner at South Water Kitchen, we saw The Swell Season in concert at the Chicago Theatre. It was fantastic – a great live show. My favorite part was when they sang the very dynamic “When Your Mind’s Made Up”. And, of course, their Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly”.

cameras weren’t allowed, so this pic is borrowed from sfist.com

If you’re new to The Swell Season, I highly recommend starting with the movie Once. You won’t be disappointed.