The Decemberists brought their blend of indie literary songs and baroque pop to Cleveland’s TempleLive on Friday (July 25, 2025) night. Touring behind their latest record, 2024’s As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again,’ frontman Colin Meloy and company treated the sold-out crowd to old favorites, deep cuts, and theatrical flourishes that made the old auditorium feel both intimate and otherworldly.
The Decemberists entered the stage one at a time, with Meloy carrying not a beer or whisky, but a glass of red wine (how un-Rock and Roll), a perfect companion to the band’s aesthetic, which has a bit of vintage charm to it. The venue was as packed as this reviewer has ever seen it. The atypical seating-only arrangement, even on the floor, gave the show an intimate vibe that also fit the band’s aesthetic.
They opened with “July, July,” from their first album (2002’s ‘Castaways and Cutouts’) and then played “Burial Ground” from their latest album, a fitting back-to-back to showcase their sound over the years. The latter featured a call and response, as many of their songs do. The crowd eventually got there, with a bit of coaching from Meloy.
While their latest album is only about a year old, the only other song they played from it was “Tell Me What’s on Your Mind,” which was dedicated to the recently deceased Grammy-winning musician, Chuck Mangione, who passed three days earlier. The rest of the set featured songs from all nine of their albums.
There were many standouts throughout the evening. “Sucker’s Prayer” is a personal favorite and an underappreciated gem of a song in general. Meloy had the crowd sing the chorus to this one as well, and it was fun to hear the crowd sing about throwing themselves in the river to drown. Beyond the personal bias, “Severance” was fantastic. From the extended opening intro, with Jenny Conlee on the dreamy keys and John Moen on driving drums, to the mid-song tangent about JD Vance and Trump spooning in an “unholy union,” it was a treat and showed how great that song is and how weird the band can get. Conlee and Moen later paired well again on “Into the Rushes.” “Severence” was followed by a special inclusion in the set just for Cleveland, a cover of REM’s “Cuyahoga,” Meloy’s voice sounding eerily similar to Michael Stipe’s.
Yet another standout was the closing encore song, “I Was Meant for the Stage,” when Meloy first sat on the edge of the stage with his wine glass and eventually climbed through the crowd on the seats, singing directly to people and hugging them.
The band pulled songs from every corner of their catalog over the 16-song setlist. Few bands could move so effortlessly between murder ballads, sea shanties, and prog-folk epics without losing the thread, but The Decemberists wove it all together with style and sincerity. They showcased their ability to do both thoughtful, introspective tales as well as catchy rock pieces. With a band that has as many fan-favorite songs as they do, you’ll always want them to play something they didn’t, but the setlist on Friday night was as good as one could hope for, with absolutely no filler.
Pittsburgh’s Merce Lemon opened, an indie rock band, complete with a lap steel that adds a bit of wanted flourish to the sound. While maybe not the strongest stage presence throughout, the songs were solid. Highlights moments were when the songs got a bit heavier and went beyond the typical chill indie sound, like on the tempo change during “Window,” or the Bonnie Prince Billy cover of “I See Darkness.” Bassist Benji Brody endeared the band to the crowd with a couple of references to the now-closed Corky and Lenny’s restaurant that used to be an iconic deli in Cleveland.
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