Indie rock band The Decemberists new album As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, is out June 14. Photo by Holly Andres.

The Decemberists and The Head And The Heart Tours Unify in Oregon

The indie-alternative bands take the stage together in Bend this July

Two Pacific Northwest-born bands, The Decemberists and The Head And The Heart are meeting amid their separate tours to play a show together in Bend July 12 at Hayden Homes Amphitheater at 6 pm. The Decemberists, formed in Portland during the early 2000s, will tour 21 U.S. cities through the summer, accompanied at most shows, including this one, by indie-alternative musicians Ratboys. The Decembrists have been described as “hyperliterate folk-rock” and are known for their narratively dense and genre-bending songs. Indie-rockers The Head and the Heart, originally from Seattle, join the Decemberists solely for the Bend show. They are going on their own tour this summer, playing solo shows and performing at music festivals. The Decemberists are partnered with Plus1, a nonprofit that uses events to fundraise for social causes. Plus1 receives $1 from each ticket purchased for the tour and uses it to aid social and environmental justice initiatives. If you are driving to Bend, then note that the venue is mostly grass and has no permanent seating. Seat cushions, beach towels and yoga mats are permitted on the lawn, but chairs are not. If you really want to nerd out on The Decembrists, check out lead singer Colin Meloy’s Substack at ColinMeloy.substack.com. In his May 23 post he writes, “the area in front of the stage in a standing room show is a sacred space,” and decries that the audience had to pay more to be there. Umm, head’s up, Hayden Homes Amphitheater! 

The Decemberists and The Head And The Heart play 6 pm at Hayden Homes Amphitheater, 344 South West Shevlin Hixon Drive, Bend. Tickets start at $67 for viewing from the lawn. Closest to the stage, the “pit” is a standing only area and tickets start at $111. Reserved seating is available for $89 minimum between the other two sections.