The Decemberists w/Caitlin Rose at The Ryman, 8/6/11

While some could say the honor has been diluted a bit — being shared by the likes of Weird Al, Alanis Morissette and Queensryche — to grace the stage of country music’s Mother Church is still a very notable milestone and coveted rite of passage for any Nashville band. So when our own Caitlin Rose landed an opening slot on a sold-out show at the legendary Ryman, The Spin wouldn’t have missed that shit for all the shiny lanyards and open bars in the world.

While some could say the honor has been diluted a bit — being shared by the likes of Weird Al, Alanis Morissette and Queensryche — to grace the stage of country music's Mother Church is still a very notable milestone and coveted rite of passage for any Nashville band. So when our own Caitlin Rose landed an opening slot on a sold-out show at the legendary Ryman, The Spin wouldn't have missed that shit for all the shiny lanyards and open bars in the world.

Due to an unfortunate miscommunication at the box office, we perked our ears to soak in Rose's first couple numbers from the front entrance. We didn't have to strain that hard, really. She was belting out "New York" like this was an American Idol audition. By the time we took our seat in the balcony, Rose — decked out in a pink power blazer that we hear came courtesy of legendary designer Manuel — staff guitarist Jeremy Fetzer and the bevy of sidemen she'd brought with her were shifting "Shanghai Cigarettes" into shit-kicking overdrive. Rose has always had a knack for converting her jitters into charisma — a talent that has never seemed to come in handier. Not that this crowd wouldn't have forgiven her for the slightest error. Going solely by encouraging shouts flying from the audience, this could have been anything from a high school graduation to a Miss Nashville beauty pageant, as the support from friends and family couldn't and wasn't going to be contained. For additional support, she called out familiar string section Larissa Maestro, Katie Studley and Eleonore Denig to give "For the Rabbits" and "Own Side Now" an extra ballad-y kick.

Rose strapped on her acoustic guitar while announcing her last song of the evening, just before realizing what may have been her worst nightmare: technical difficulties. The thing wouldn't play through the speakers. Without batting an eye, she shrugged it off with a precious remark, unplugged her ax and started solo into "Sinful Wishing Well" several feet from the mic, semi-vaudeville style. Her band followed suit, subduing their amps to adjust for the new intimate amplitude, while Rose belted out the familiar tear-jerker like she'd never get a chance to sing again. We don't know how often opening acts get standing ovations, but if ever it was appropriate, Saturday night was it.

Frankly, we could have headed home right then and had a pretty great night. Our limited experience with the catalog of headliners The Decemberists just didn't seem to offer the emotional promise of what we'd just seen. But hey, frontman Colin Meloy had plenty of charm of his own to impart between songs, and we were relieved to hear their new material had strayed from the contrived steampunk themes that dominated their early work. Rather, the stuff we understood was from their new album was more an atmospherically confessional folk rock for kids, or a modern-day Northwestern Eagles. At one time, Meloy proved a long-standing Nashville cliché by venturing into the crowd and handing his guitar to a random audience member, who proceeded to shred like a champ. Speaking of clichés, while closing with an extended jam of the allegedly autobiographical "Chimbley Sweep," the band detoured into an extended bluesy breakdown that at some point erupted into the requisite Johnny Cash cover nearly every touring act feels obliged to play on The Ryman's stage. This time it was "Folsom Prison Blues," and like always, the solicited hand claps and pew stomps soon followed like clockwork.