The National @ Pitchfork Music Festival 2009
Going into the National’s headlining show Saturday night, which closed out day two of the Pitchfork Festival, I was a bit weary of the potential of seeing the exact same set list and show that I witnessed just two nights earlier at Minneapolis’ First Avenue. It’s a testament to the power and potency of the band’s music that even though the set list was roughly the same (just missing “Racing Like A Pro”), I was thoroughly entertained throughout its performance, and was completely captivated (again) by the dynamic lyrics of Matt Berninger and the suspenseful arrangements of the band (which is now performing as an eight-piece, with two horn players and a violinist/keyboardist). Playing to the day’s largest crowd, the National delivered a stirring, emotional set that not only showed that it has the capabilities to enthrall a massive audience with its quiet, somewhat delicate songs, but also has a mass appeal that warranted Saturday night’s headlining spot.
The band started its set (as the National did at First Ave.) with a new song that was introduced as “Runaway,” a brooding, slow building song that is led by Berninger’s passionate delivery, before giving way to the horns and Bryce and Aaron Dessner’s subtle, hypnotic guitars that linger just below the surface of the song. As it did in Minneapolis, the song won me over with its emotive plea of “What makes you think that I enjoy being led to the flood?” Starting a set off with a song most of the crowd hasn’t heard is always a risk, but when it is this strong, the band probably doesn’t worry, and the rapt audience enjoyed the song immensely. But the National followed the new track with a string of songs that were a lot more familiar, like “Start A War,” “Brainy” and “Secret Meeting,” which the audience especially loved. “Slow Show” has become absolutely epic live, with the ending of the song becoming as touching and poignant as anything in the band’s catalog.
Berninger introduced another new song by saying “This is a song we call jam or no jam. Tonight I say fuck it, let’s jam.” The song’s working title is apparently “Vanderlyle Cry Baby,” and again it’s another superb song that certainly bodes well for the band’s forthcoming album. “Squalor Victoria” has become a killer live song, with the band turning things up a notch and Berninger really letting loose on the chorus. “Apartment Story” is just as formidable, and the band gives the song an added significance by slowing down the start, with Berninger singing nearly a cappela at the beginning, and the rest of the band slowly filling in until the song becomes the impassioned juggernaut that it is. “Ada” was a complete explosion of sound and energy, and was certainly one of the set’s highlights. And it’s an indication of how gripping a live band the National has become when it can play two slow, intricate numbers like “Green Gloves” and “Fake Empire” and keep the entire crowd mesmerized. It helps that those two songs are absolute gems, but still, for them to go over well in a festival atmosphere is proof that the National has no problem playing on a bigger stage.
The last of the evening’s three new songs was “Blood Buzz,” another mercurial number slowly guided along by Berninger’s simmering lyrics and the brothers Dessner and Devendorf giving the track its steady rhythm. “Mr. November” has now become an explosive staple in the National’s set, with Berninger delivering the lyrics first on the staircase at First Avenue, and now in the crowd at Pitchfork. The live show takes what was already a volatile song and makes it truly flammable. Berninger came back on stage laughing, and shared this with the crowd: “That was supposed to be a lot cooler. I got up on top of the garbage can, thinking that would be really cool. But the top gave out, and I plunged into the garbage can, and I thought, this isn’t cool at all. But I thought about it a little more, and actually, it was perfect.” As was the set. The band serenaded the audience with a deeply moving version of “About Today” from the Cherry Tree EP, which proved to be an impeccable way to close out day two of the festival. The National has finally arrived on a grand stage after years of relative obscurity, and that level of success is very much deserved as the band has not only earned that spotlight, but, as it proved on this night, truly thrives under it.
[Review by Erik Thompson, photos by Jon Behm.]
Setlist:
Runaway (new song)
Start A War
Mistaken For Strangers
Brainy
Secret Meeting
Baby We’ll Be Fine
Slow Show
Vanderlyle Cry Baby (new song)
Squalor Victoria
Abel
All The Wine
Apartment Story
Ada
Green Gloves
Fake Empire
Blood Buzz (new song)
Mr. November
About Today
