My wife surprised me the other week with tickets to one of my favorite bands, The National. I love my wife. She actually likes them too which makes going to a show that much more enjoyable. We went last night to the Fillmore as it was starting to rain and get dreary, which in my opinion is some of the best weather for anything, let alone The National. I have never heard of the opening band (Brazos) and was a little let down since I had seen that on tour with the National before was Owen Pallett (Front man and basically the only member of Final Fantasy and sometimes Violinist for The Arcade Fire) As the show started the four members of Brazos from Austin, TX took the stage as the lead singer and guitarist knelt down to get some feedback and distortion out of his guitar. They started and quickly pleased both Sonia and I. The guitarist’s hollowed, empty strums were taken from a kind of 60’s pop song as the drummer beat the floor tom and shook an egg shaker all the way to town. The vocalist, if you haven’t heard them yet, has a voice that combines Local Natives’ Taylor Rice, The Shins/Broken Bells’ James Mercer and a unique sound all his own. The music and vocals took turns playing lead as the set up to The Observer built into a blend of pop/jazz/foreign mayhem. It’s hard to define their sound as they throw together guitar solos, ambient space jigs, and tribal-ish drums. Sonia and I were both liked them so much and were so surprised that we almost forgot who we were there to see. With song titles like Ghost Ship, Feeding Frenzy, and Travel, you can tell the band wants to send the listener/audience to new places with their music, at least it felt that way last night. The band told the crowd, “these are all old songs…well old to us, they're probably new to you,” which made me feel good that maybe nobody had heard of this band before, not just me; but I did like what I heard.
(Brazos)
However, afterwards we couldn’t wait for the National to take the stage. After waiting (like an hour, am I right?) the lights went down and Neil Young’s On The Beach played as the band took their positions dressed in all black, except the drummer who looked like he could be in a much different band (maybe a metal group or some kind of prog rock band?). They started with Start a War in which Matt Berninger’s voice rung perfectly with if not better then on the album as the guitars sound like a lullaby. Matt’s lyrics “Walk away now and you’re gonna start a war” seemed as if they were sung to the crowd, drawing in their attention to what was about to happen, as if the crowd was disinterested in the first place. The band’s sound was flawless as each note was played delicately. The drums were the driving force behind floating guitars and deep, heavy vocals. For anyone who has not listened to The National, you should. They are a professional band, not in the sense that they get paid for what they do, but that they are professionals in making music and performing. They blend poetic ramblings with modern themes and weave them into melodically dense music. The albums are enough to win over a growing fan base, but throw their live performances in the mix and this is possibly one of the most unique and impressive bands around. During their set, Matt Berninger, dressed in a black suit jacket and vest, with a black shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes, sings and acts nervously, as if he cannot wait for his lines to be done so he can stumble around screaming and looking like he wants to deck something. Throughout the set he would randomly walk off stage and be back in time for the next line or the next song. The rest of the band are rock stars as well, strumming the melodies and lifting there guitars over their heads while the drummer and bass player lay the rhythm that often defines the National’s sound. As they played Squalor Victoria (my favorite song) the band came together only to turn the song into chaos with Berninger screaming “SQUALOR VICTORIA!” with the buzz of the guitars and crashing of the cymbals ending the song in epic fashion. Though they are dressed nice, they are still rock and roll. They were fairly talkative throughout the concert as well, saying hi to their cousins that were in the crowd and talking about their mom (both the guitarists are brothers, along with the bassist and drummer). They told jokes and were grateful to their crew for their help since Alligator, the album in which the band claims is the first that brought people to their shows. As the band came back out to encore they played some of their older songs, starting with All The Wine along with the lead track off their newest album Terrible Love (in which Berninger stepped off the stage and walked to the middle of the auditorium with a corded mic in hand in the midst of the sweaty crowd…so cool) It was the finale, however, that was the cherry on top. The band came to the front of the stage with their horn section and played an acoustic version of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks in which the whole band sang alone without the use of an amp or microphone. Again…so cool.
(The National)
The National has become one of my favorite bands, as was said above. They compiled the Dark Was The Night album with various artists on it in which the proceeds went to fight AIDS and they have done other benefit concerts, which is cool. Plus, their music is just amazing. The part of the concert and of Berninger’s lyrics that I find interesting is his references to God and sometimes personal and honest themes he lines them with. One song in particular from the concert and from the album Alligator is Abel. The middle of the song says, “You turn me good and God-fearing. Well, tell me what am I supposed to do with that? I'm missing something. Yeah, I'm missing something.” The National is not a Christian band, but I suppose whenever I hear of a band singing about God I get excited at the possibility of them one day coming to know Him. As Berninger sings, “I’m missing something;” I agree. Maybe, one day, he’ll find it. I pray he does.
(Ampless The National)
The National’s Set list:
Start A War
Anyone’s Ghost
Mistaken For Strangers
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Slow Show
Squalor Victoria
Afraid Of Anyone
Brainy
Conversation 16
Abel
Soho Riots
England
Fake Empire
Encore:
All the Wine
Mr. November
Terrible Love
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
