Immersion
The National 04/16/2014 : Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
by Brenton Goodrich
Starting off with the slow-burning “Start a War” from the celebrated 2007 album Boxer was a perfect way to grip the audience right away. Gripping would be an accurate way to describe this band. When they’re not mesmerizing you with tight atmospheric rock, they’re moving you with a rhythmic driving assault. I feel immersed and uplifted listening to The National. Especially live! Especially this night! Many bands sound better in concert but this band’s sound lends to the live stage where the listener observes many more dimensions to the music. “Sea of Love” and “I Should Live in Salt”, with the uncomfortably familiar-for-everyone “You should know me better than that”, both from last year’s Trouble Will Find Me (my #6 Album of 2013) appear next. “Don’t Swallow The Cap” was one of my favorites of the night. Matt Berninger nailed the vocals and provided the exact emotive demonstration I’ve had in my head with this song.
The backing tonight of a 2-piece horn section that didn’t just sit-in, but helped define and redefine the tunes, added to the already difficult task of deciphering who’s playing what sound when. Being that I’m not extremely familiar with all the band members, I made it a point to focus on each throughout the night. Saying I was impressed by the passion and talent of each member would be understating what should already be obvious. We also were treated to some slightly reworked and particularly intense versions of “Afraid of Everyone” and “Squalor Victoria”. “Wasp Nest” and “Green Gloves” were gorgeous and made this show unique. The main set ended with the rocking bounce of “Graceless”, which has become one of my favorite songs due to it’s descriptive take on dealing with loss or frustration, and “Fake Empire” which deftly utilized the horn section and built into a frenzy and controlled chaos this band crafts so well. “Mr. November” was a frantic part of the encore set that saw Matt sway out into the crowd as he sometimes does.
I must say that I haven’t seen them enough to be tired of old songs, and I love the new material so dearly that hearing it for the first time really elevated my love for not only them but the vastness of music. The National, for me, are part of the vast experiences that make life happy and complete, and they were paramount to that on this evening.