Photos by True O’Neill
The National have grown impressively large, performing at Jay-Z level venues no less, but they still know how to put on a show that feels sweet and intimate. Wednesday’s performance seemed to envelop the cavernous Barclays Center, making the event feel like a familiar, celebratory affair. Perhaps this was because the performance was (technically) the first show on their Trouble Will Find Me Tour, but more likely, the closeness stemmed from the fact that, despite the size of the audience, those attending were still their hometown crowd.
After a surprisingly loud and energetic set from one of our longtime favorites, Youth Lagoon, The National came out to much fan fare in the packed Barclays Center. While they played mostly tracks from their newest record, the band peppered their set (over 2 hours in length) with songs going back to their early days. Older fans were treated to standbys like “Mr. November” and “Able”, while newer fans could sing along to most of High Violet. They even brought out Miss St. Vincent, Annie Clark, herself to sing the back up vocals on “This is the Last Time”, a wonderful treat for the hometown crowd.
One of The National’s secret weapons is the strength of their live show. While songs like “Sorrow” or the new single, “Sea of Love”, relish in silken mellowness on the albums, during a live experience, the band turns them into explosive, energetic anthems. The Dessner brothers rip through tracks, adding screaming guitars that not only fill up the entire space, but also turn each track into something completely new. When Matt Berninger lets out his incredible scream, absolutely one of the best in the business, it reminds you that, though they make contemplative indie songs now, The National started out as a damn pure rock band.
The show’s encore, which made even the giant arena seem like Mercury Lounge, was truly unique and gave the audience collective chills. The whole band allowed the frenetic energy of “Mr. November” to completely take them over — Berninger plunged into the crowd and Aaron Dessner channelled Eddie Van Halen, doing everything short of setting his guitar on fire. After briefly leaving the stage, they came back with Youth Lagoon and launched into an acoustic version of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks”. With the entire audience singing along, there was a rare moment of unity, as thousands of voices promised to “explain everything to the geeks.” This was a memorable homecoming for sure.