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Twenty Years Before The Mast
It was very nearly twenty years ago — or just under, anyway, depending on how you call it — that the Decemberists, or at least a band initially called The December Brides, emerged, fully formed — or at least with some of the current members, like two or three — walked on to the stage at Berbati’s Pan in Portland, Oregon and proclaimed themselves a rock ‘n’ roll band. This definitely most likely happened twenty years ago, though a clerical error in the initial logo design listing the band’s establishment as 2001 has caused confusion for — and here we go again — nearly twenty years.
IN ANY CASE: We Decemberists felt like this anniversary, arguably two decades as a band, could not go uncelebrated, so we thought we’d do what we do best: go out on the road and play songs we’d written, performed, and recorded during those twenty — or nineteen at the very least — years.
And so, dear public, we present to you:
TWENTY YEARS BEFORE THE MAST
The Decemberists 20th Anniversary Tour
With our good friends Fruit Bats opening the shows (with the exception of Kansas City), we’ll be indulging liberally in the discography from every era of the band, from the indie to the outie, from the DIY (Do It Yourself) days to the SEDIFY (Someone Else Does It For You) days — the hits, the not-so-hits, and the ones in between. Every era of Colin’s facial hair will be well-represented, have no fear!
Fan pre-sale begins today at noon local time. General on-sale will follow on Friday, February 14.
And, as we’ve done on recent tours, we’re offering a rarified concert experience with our Whole Shebang Super Action Concert Packages, which include premium reserved seats, a two-song performance and Q&A with the band, and a bunch of sweet swag. Please do check them out if you’d like a little extra je ne sais quoi with your concert-going activity. These are offered at two tiers of rarefication — Ensign and Commandante — so you just need to decide how much you deserve either one.
Being ever-mindful that we will be embarking on this tour during an election year, we’ve partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from each ticket will be donated to non-profits that are working to transform the accessibility and infrastructure around voting policy and procedure.
See you on the road!
Yours,
The Decemberists