The Decemberists Will Play First Headlining Concert in 3 Years
The Decemberists haven’t played a headlining concert since August 2011, but they’re shaking off the rust in support of a great cause: On Friday, May 30th, the eclectic folk-rock band will present “V Is For Victory,” a benefit concert raising funds for an Oregon school for autistic students.
The band will perform the entirety of their debut LP, 2002’s Castaways and Cutouts, along with other “sentimental favorites.” The show will be held at the Crystall Ballroom in Portland, kicking off at 8 p.m. local time; indie-rocker Sallie Ford will open.
Top 50 Tweeters in Music: Colin Meloy
Proceeds from the show will help fund Victory Academy, a new 18,000 square-foot school constructed on a four-acre horse farm outside of Wilsonville, Oregon. According to a press release, this new school – the “first-ever K-12 accredited school for children affected by autism” – will be built from “100% non-toxic materials.”
Ttickets will go on sale this Friday, March 7th, at noon PST via the Cascade Tickets website. Loyal Decemberists fans can also purchase a VIP package, which includes “early entrance to the show, a pre-show reception with the Decemberists (with light food and drink served) and a special limited-edition poster signed by the band.”
“Victory Academy is an important place, a positive educational environment for kids on the autism spectrum,” frontman Colin Meloy said in a statement. “In a public school system that is constantly failing its most vulnerable charges, we need more and better schools catering to the needs of autistic children. Victory is such a place.”
Meanwhile, the Decemberists have been gradually moving forward with a new album. Back in November, Meloy updated Rolling Stone on their progress:
“I’m starting to dabble with [new] Decemberists stuff,” he said. “We’ve been hanging out, and I’ve been writing new material specifically for the band, so I expect sometime in the fairly near future that there will be a Decemberists record.”