Photo:
Kyle Gustafson.There was a telling moment during The National’s concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. last night. Four songs into the show, lead singer Matt Berninger requested that the stage spotlights be turned down, asserting, “We look a little better with less lights.” While this might have simply been the request of a modest frontman (as Berninger is well-reputed to be), it also embodied The National’s approach to performing, not to mention their sound. Moody, but unpretentious. Dark, but not overly dramatic.No Mick Jagger, Berninger often stood stock-still with eyes cast upward and hands folded on the mic while singing, or retreated into a crouch in the shadows. His restraint, however, left plenty of room for the band’s sound to hold the stage. Two pairs of brothers provide The National’s instrumental firepower: Aaron Dessner (bass), Bryce Dessner (guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums), Scott Devendorf (guitar). With Berninger’s spacious baritone vocals leading the way, The National harnessed their catalog into an energizing live show. Their songs tend to follow a simple yet effective blueprint: building from a single electric guitar or piano chord progression through the verses and chorus, they end in an eventual crescendo of instruments and vocals. Their songs rarely meander (the average song length on their latest,
Boxer, is about three and half minutes) and this “compact anthem” format translated well to a live setting. This was most apparent on tunes “Lit Up” and “Abel”, which drew the most enthusiastic response from the D.C. crowd.Complementing the band’s sound was touring member and multi-instrumentalist Padma Newsome. For a band that—much like fellow Joy Division devotees Interpol—has been accused of sounding too clinical on record, Newsome’s melodic presence onstage was a welcome one. Along with tasteful piano and organ touches, his violin coda on “Brainy” provided one of the evening’s most affecting moments.Though the Cincinnati, OH natives are currently touring behind the critically-acclaimed
Boxer, earlier songs from their breakthrough full length,
Alligator, figured heavily in the evening. The National even opted to close the show with fan favorite “Mr. November” from that earlier album, before returning for an encore of
Boxer songs.More from NPR on the show
here.Sample track from
Boxer:
Photo:
Kyle Gustafson.
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