I have been entranced by The National since I bought the Boxer album a few month ago.
On the album, the songs are powerful but controlled, constantly rising and falling but never exceeding their aural capacity. In concert, it was amazing to hear the songs become so intense and be presented on an entirely different level.
I had an uptempo number like "Squalor Victoria" or "Brainy" pegged for the opener, but was surprised with the opening chords of "Start A War". Surprised, but surely not disappointed. It didn't take long for the song to take on its concert persona and test the limits of the room. Apparently, the walls of the Madison Theater weren't up to the task, as lead singer Matt Berninger commented that he couldn't tell if he was singing in time with the drummer or the echo coming from the back wall.
For me, the highlight of the show was "Baby,We'll Be Fine" from the Alligator album, with Berninger screaming the chorus (in perfect pitch) "I'm so sorry for everything" with raw angst as the band built to a fever pitch behind him. It was the perfect example of the great difference between the studio and the stage, and how both versions could be equally appreciated.
Here is the set list:
Start A War
Mistaken For Strangers
Secret Meeting
Brainy
Baby, We'll Be Fine
Slow Show
Squalor Victoria
Abel
All the Wine
Racing Like A Pro
Ada
Apartment Story
Daughters of the Soho Riots
Fake Empire
About Today
Encores:
Green Gloves
Mr. November
Here is a photo of the show, courtesy of user chrisglass of Flickr.com.
And finally, here is a clip from the show I found on You Tube - check them out playing "Apartment Story" from the Boxer album. The sound isn't great, but it's still pretty cool.
I'm out-
KWass
1 comment:
Great work.
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