Concert Review: The National - 10/11
3,000+ people showed up last night at Terminal 5, New York City’s newest music venue. And the folks out Bowery Presents (Terminal’s owner) sure picked the right band to kick of all the festivities.The National are acclaimed for their music and writing. I once heard someone say “Interpol wishes they were The National” and I think that pretty much accurately describes the Cincinnati/Brookyln natives. They may not be the biggest band around, though their popularity is certainly increasing, but they are probably one of the most talented bands right now.
Front man Matt Berninger and the rest of the National began their set with “Start a War”, a lyrically beautiful song off their latest album Boxer. Though it wasn’t a song I was expecting them to come out to, it’s just a testament of their ability. They don’t need high energy sing-a-longs to get 
the crowd moving and excited. Just listening to the poetry of Berninger’s words was enough to excite even the most casual fan.
That’s not to say, however, that they didn’t play any powerful, high-energy tunes. Particuar highlights included the bands performance of “Fake Empire” and “Abel”, which exemplified that even when screaming with all his might, Berninger has one of the most stunning voices around.
The set was certainly not what I expected. There was some noticeable absences on the set, ie. “Karen” and “Lit Up”. But as someone standing next to me put it, “It’s not like it really matters. All their songs are fantastic, equally good.”
The encore was as good as it gets. St. Vincent joined the band for “Green Gloves”. And there was a certain energy felt when they closed out with “Mr. November”. As I walked out of Terminal 5, I felt convinced that The National are one of the best overall bands right now. They’re unbelievable both recorded and live. They don’t really have a weakness. And you can’t say the same about most of their contemporaries.
Report Card:
The Setlist: A-
The Crowd: B+
The Vocals: A+
Instrumentation: A
Overall: A
More Photos:
Oct 13th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
[...] October 13th, 2007 · No Comments Though not the greatest of quality, I think this video accuratly shows the unbelievable energy put off by the National during their lives performances. Don’t forget to read CoS’ review of the show. [...]
Oct 29th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
[...] No Comments The wonderfully talented St. Vincent is out with a new music video. After playing a few shows with The National, she is currently on tour in [...]