Pitchfork

The Decemberists are about three albums away from setting up shop on Broadway. On March 24, Capitol will release the Portland drama club ensemble's rock opera The Hazards of Love, now with darker, more sinister cover art! (See above.)

In the words of a press release, The Hazards of Love is "a 17-song suite that tells the tale of a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal; her lover, Williams; a forest queen; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake." But you probably guessed all that already, right?

Last week, we announced that the band would be doing the My Chemical Romance thing and playing the entire album straight through at the NPR SXSW showcase. That will go down at Stubb's on March 18, and both Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden will be on hand to portray the characters they play in The Hazards of Love.

Well, as it turns out, that magical evening at Stubb's will just be a dry run for an entire tour. Starting in May, the band will take their whole-album-straight through act to America's plush, luxurious theaters, bringing Stark and Worden along for the entire ride. They're calling this run "A Short Fazed Hovel tour 2009".

Unfortunately, you won't get to scream like you're being swallowed by a whale unless they play an encore or something. Sorry.

Meanwhile, I'm already looking forward to The Hazards of Love II: Margaret's Revenge.

Here go the dates:

03-18 Austin, TX - Stubb's (NPR SXSW showcase)
05-19 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
05-20 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
05-21 Eugene, OR - McDonald Theater
05-24 Missoula, MT - Wilma Theatre
05-26 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
05-27 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
05-29 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
05-31 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
06-01 Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
06-03 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
06-04 Raleigh, NC - Memorial Auditorium
06-05 Richmond, VA - The National
06-06 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
06-09 Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion
06-10 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
06-11-14 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival