(an original photograph by RTM)
The lights suddenly dimmed inside of the beautifully decorated three-tiered Beacon Theater. The house music turned up a few notches catching people’s attention with Duran Duran’s “Wild Boys,” and the backdrop of the stage went purple and flaunted the words “The National.” The band was getting ready to come on stage.
Over the past several years The National has become a
nationally prominent band. They
have released five albums since 2001, but their fourth album The Boxer (2007) has received the most acclaim. However, since their fifth release, High
Violet (2010), the band has continued to
thrive, especially in the New York area as they are based out of Brooklyn. Known for frontman Matt Berninger’s
monotone voice, I was curious to see how the band’s music would translate live.
Tuesday night was their second of six consecutive shows at
the Beacon Theatre, with each of the shows selling out shortly after tickets
went on sale. Every single person
in the theater stood up and applauded the guys when they came on stage.
Slowly, people began to sit back down, but by the end of the
band’s third song, the recent upbeat hit “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” the entire crowd on
the floor level was on their feet, and would remain that way until the end of
the show.
During the next song, “Squalor Victoria,” Matt made it clear
to the crowd that he wasn’t going to stay monotone through the whole show. During the height of the song, he was
screaming into the microphone.
Listening to The National’s studio music, it seems like they
have a lot of mellower songs, with some faster paced songs mixed in. However, their live performance proved
to be the opposite with mostly rockin’ songs and just a few mellower songs
mixed in. The National’s greatest
strength as a band is how they build towards a climax—mellow or upbeat—each of
their songs proves to be a crescendo.
As their songs picked up intensity, the light-work accompanying the
music began pulsating, which culminated in high-energy performances.
At the end of the nineteen song set though, The National
ended on a much more intimate note.
They ditched their drums, amps, and microphones, and called out guests
(including St. Vincent, Annie Clark, and opener Sharon Van Etten) to help them
sing an A cappella version of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.” I have seen other bands try to end
shows on a similar note in the past, but have failed at doing so. The National did a wonderful job with
it, as the crowd watched with admiration and sang along as the night came to an
end.
(an original photograph by RTM)
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