I haven’t seen the Decemberists… oh, I guess since the last time they played Bonnaroo two years ago. It’s been a while. And while I used to be a Decemberists mega-fan (seeing them twice in two days, both cities over an hour from my house), these days I’ve lapsed in my love. I found The Hazards of Love mostly uninteresting and The Crane Wife took me too long to unlock the great parts of it. But just when I was ready to give up, Colin & Co. came out and reminded me of why I fell in love in the first place.

It’s kind of hard not to enjoy the Decemberists’ live show if you’re even remotely interested in their music. Their set at Bonnaroo was just great. Not only did they do a great job performing some good songs, but they moved away from their previous mid-day big stage show to headline in the tents. Now, that might seem like a move down, but it’s a welcome one when it comes with a great light show and even more theatrics. It felt like watching a play — not in the same way that Of Montreal’s antics are like a play, but just that it was dramatic.