Unclear On The Concept

Apparently esoteric indie rock acts can draw stadium crowds, according to clueless conservatives.

The Portland-based band has drawn rave reviews from Rolling Stone magazine, which gave their 2005 album Picaresque four and a half stars (out of five), and another four and a half stars for 2007's The Crane Wife.

How many of the people showed up to hear Obama, and how many to hear the band?

Gee, when the Decemberists play San Francisco, a city twice the size of Portland and just as much in their demographic, they play the Warfield, which seats about 2,400. But that concert wasn't free! So here's a free Decemberists show from Chicago - a city with 6 times as many people as Portland - and it drew 10,000. Which is pretty incredible for a free summer show for a band with a niche audience (although according to the Chicagoist review lots of people didn't like them and left), but it's kind of 65,000 people less than what happened in Oregon.

Bands get 75,000 people routinely. The Decemberists don't. Oh, and Michael Goldfarb at the Weekly Standard hasn't caught on to the idea of the clever reference:

Hugh also notes that The Decemberists typically open their shows with what I'm sure is a stirring rendition of the Soviet national anthem. No word on whether they opened the Obama rally with such a performance, but I'm certain our trusted media would have reported it if they did.

Ummm, yeah, that'd be why they're called the Decemberists.

Man, conservatives and music don't mix. On the other hand, I'm sure John McCain could pack 'em in if he had the Jiminy MacGillicuddy Old-Timey Jumpin' Jamboree opening for him.