A view from the last possible seat in the balcony.
The National, one of the daddiest of the dad-rock bands going today*, played to a sold-out Riverside Theater on Friday night.
All of The National’s best songs have a feeling of calm with a sense of danger lurking underneath, like a plane drifting through the sky about to hit some turbulence. Aided by Bryan Devendorf’s propulsive drumming, the songs were taken from mere mid-tempo indie rock to something bigger and better.
The National frontloaded their set with some of their best tunes. ”Mistaken for Strangers” took on a different meaning as a middle-aged dad, but still hits hard. High Violet cut “Bloodbuzz Ohio” had the largely millennial crowd’s attention early on, with Matt Berninger crooning its entirely-too-appropriate chorus of “I still owe money, to the money, to the money I owe.” “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,” perhaps the rockingest song in their catalog, brought the entire crowd to its feet for the first time. Aaron Dessner’s gnarly, squiggly lead guitar brought some much-needed color to the muted greys and browns that The National usually traffic in.
I called The National “dad rock” in the opening, and though I stand by that, in truth there were more women in the crowd than men. I think that at least begins with Matt Berninger’s rich baritone voice. He’s part mumbly crooner, part rambling drunk. Whatever you want to call it, he had complete control of the crowd. He ventured into the pit a handful of times throughout the nearly two-hour set, and one imagines it was sort of like a religious experience for those lucky enough to get close to him.
It would be fair to think of the crowd at a The National show to be one that stands in the back, arms folded, too cool to show any sense of enjoyment. (I say this because I am one of those insufferable people.) This would be absolutely wrong, however. There was dancing in the aisles. There was fist pumping. As someone who is very self-conscious of going to shows alone, it was a relief to see there were fans of all levels (superfan, casual, etc.).
Ultimately, I think the appeal of The National lies in the sense of togetherness that underpins the music. The lyrics may be sometimes mopey or sad sack, but that didn’t stop anyone from singing along. When Berninger shouted the chorus to crowd favorite “Mr. November,” I wasn’t sure if it was a promise or a plea, but the crowd screamed “I won’t fuck us over!” right along with him.
That sense of community lasted right through the last song of the encore. The band gathered in a semi-circle at the front of the stage. They started to play gentle High Violet closer “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.” Matt Berninger played conductor in lieu of having a microphone, but that didn’t matter as a Dashboard Confessional show broke out right then and there as the crowd sang every line of the song back at the band. Perhaps that is a traditional closer because everyone seemed to know exactly what to do. But it was stunning nonetheless. On a night where, as a first-timer, I didn’t know what to expect, the vibes – as the kids say – were immaculate. There is no higher compliment that I can pay, all things considered.
* I think the top five, in some order or another, is The War on Drugs, Spoon, Wilco, The National, and Foo Fighters.
