Pitchfork

Photo by Rich Orris and Marina Teper

While the Decemberists themselves are prepared to give fans (except those in the UK) both "The Long and Short of It", we'll just skip to the good part: The band's blazillionth tour in support of last year's The Crane Wife kicks off this weekend-- Sunday, October 28 to be exact, in Chicago.

As a reminder, the tour's dates come in pairs, with the first night in each city dedicated to the band's proggier side (the "Long of It" shows) and the second night showcasing their pop tendencies (the "Short of It" shows).

There are a couple exceptions sprinkled into the schedule, however. On November 13 in Pittsburgh, the band will perform a regular set (that is neither Long nor Short) at a WYEP-organized benefit show for CASA and Family Resources. And then on December 7 in the Decemberists' hometown of Portland, Oregon, they'll play a show at the Crystal Ballroom that is also neither Long nor Short. Rather, it's a "fan's choice evening", with the set list made up of fan requests made over on the Decemberists message board.

Or, if you are among those who feel that recorded documentation of live shows beats the shows themselves, there is always the option to stay in and listen to the Decemberists on that 93XRT live comp that just came out, you grump.

The dates of it:

10-28 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater ("Long of It") *
10-29 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater ("Short of It") *
11-01 New York, NY - Terminal 5 ("Long of It") *
11-02 New York, NY - Terminal 5 ("Short of It") *
11-03 Boston, MA - Orpheum ("Long of It") *
11-04 Boston, MA - Orpheum ("Short of It") *
11-06 Winston-Salem, NC - Millennium Center ("Long of It") *
11-07 Winston-Salem, NC - Millennium Center ("Short of It") *
11-09 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club ("Long of It") *
11-10 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club ("Short of It") *
11-11 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club ("Long of It") *
11-12 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club ("Short of It") *
11-13 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall (WYEP benefit show)
11-15 Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion ("Long of It") *
11-16 Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion ("Short of It") *
11-18 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater ("Long of It") *
11-19 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater ("Short of It") *
11-23 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore ("Long of It") *
11-24 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore ("Short of It") *
11-25 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore ("Long of It") *
11-26 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore ("Short of It") *
11-29 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern ("Long of It") *
11-30 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern ("Short of It") *
12-01 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre ("Long of It") *
12-02 San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre ("Short of It") *
12-05 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom ("Long of It") *
12-06 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom ("Short of It") *
12-07 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom (fan's choice) *
12-08 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre ("Long of It") *
12-09 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre ("Short of It") *

* with Laura Veirs and Saltbreakers