The National took the stage to the most unlikeliest song ever, Bob Dylan's
The Man In Me. And they decided to go slow and mellow by opening with
Runaway. The band's first-ever concert in Asia had a setlist heavy of
Boxer and
High Violet songs, in which most of the audience were familiar with, and I think those live versions were much better than the album versions, more guitar-driven and more rock & roll. The trumpet and trombone were put to good use, and they stood out more during
tunes like Fake Empire,
Conversation 16 and
England.
Frontman Matt Berninger was weirdly mesmerizing to watch. You would think by the way he sings he would not really be that engaging. But there was quite a lot of onstage banter in between songs, with the audience and his bandmates. When he sang he gripped on to his mic stand as if he were hanging on for dear life. And when he didn't, he watched his drummer, with his back to the audience. He moved graciously and randomly across the stage, like a drunk. And then once in a while, he'd explode, screaming the lyrics, most notably in
Squalor Victoria.
My personal favorite was
Mr. November, the second song in the encore. And then Matt made a comment about American politics. The new rendition of
Terrible Love was stirringly loud and the singer decided to work his way to the middle of the floor, walking over the seats among the audience. The closing song was an unplugged (literally), singalong version of
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks. Thanks to the excellent venue acoustics, I could actually hear the guitar strumming from where I was on the second floor.
The National is my fourth and last gig of 2011. Yup, it has been kind of a terrible concert-going year. But my god, what an unforgettable show; it really took me by surprise how great it was. My ears are still ringing as I'm typing this. Next up, Roger Waters performs The Wall in January.
P.S. This was one of the rare occasions where I didn't take a single photo.
1. Runaway
2. Anyone's Ghost
3. Mistaken For Strangers
4. Bloodbuzz Ohio
5. Slow Show
6. Squalor Victoria
7. Afraid Of Everyone
8. Conversation 16
9. Available / Cardinal Song
10. Sorrow
11. Apartment Story
12. Abel
13. Daughters Of The Soho Riots
14. England
15. Fake Empire
16. Lucky You
17. Mr. November
18. Terrible Love
19. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
This DVD set chalked full of mostly breathtaking performances has left me wanting more. Twenty-five years worth of rock & roll acoustic bliss at the Bridge School Benefit concerts, and this compilation is barely scratching the surface. But lots of the stuff present here over two discs will go down in live music history as some of the most special performances ever. We may never see R.E.M. play together live again, let alone with Neil Young, so I'm glad that Country Feedback was included. A punk-looking David Bowie sits down for a chilling, stripped-down Heroes. Dylan takes a more aggressive stab at Girl From The North Country. Pearl Jam surprises with a very different form of Better Man. Tom Waits works up some real sweat growling his classic 16 Shells. And Uncle Neil on Crime In The City, which is FUCKING STELLAR. And sometimes the simplest songs are those that stick the most; James Taylor on Fire And Rain, Simon & Garfunkel on America, and Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings on The Way It Will Be, my personal favorite. I felt so liberated and inspired after spending over two hours watching.
