From Boston Calling 2018: The National A Uniquely Moody Act

Longtime listeners of The National may wonder how well their often slow, melancholy songs translate to the concert stage. The answer is quite well, but some quality is, if not lost, changed in the process. When listening on one’s own, in a quiet setting, their songs feel like conversations covering everything from love to grief. In a venue like Boston Calling’s Red Stage, however, their music becomes a celebration of commiseration. With a crowd at hand, what once were quiet, somber songs turn into anthems.

Matt Berninger, the vocalist, let his audience know right away what they were in for, opening with “Nobody Else Will Be There.” This reflection on a troubled relationship is the first track on “Sleep Well Beast,” The National’s most recent album, released in 2017. They followed this opener with three more songs off of the album, namely “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,” “Walk it Back,” and “Guilty Party.” Although “Sleep Well Beast” is an excellent album, The National has nearly 20 years of music to pick from, and soon enough they moved on to some of their classics from “Trouble Will Find Me,” “High Violet,” and “Boxer.”

Once The National began playing crowd favorites like “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “Fake Empire,” and “Mistaken for Strangers,” it became clear how different The National is live from how they are in the studio. One of the best examples of this was “Afraid of Everyone”—on “High Violet,” the song is exceedingly low-key. Ethereal backup vocals and a light rhythmic guitar comprise the majority of the song, overlaid with Berninger’s quietly soulful singing. Laid–back drums kick in about a minute in, along with the occasional burst of guitar. Not until the outro do the instruments come into play in a major way. Live, however, the song became anthemic. Berninger, along with much of the crowd, nearly screamed the refrain, “I don’t have the drugs to sort / I don’t have the drugs to sort it out,” and the already rocking outro turned into an opportunity for every band member to play their hearts out.

Likely due to the band’s long lifespan, the audience for The National seemed older and certainly more mature than those for Portugal. The Man and The Killers, who played before and after them. Certainly, The National’s complex and poetic lyrics demand more from their audience than the poppier rock of most acts at Boston Calling. One standout lyric from “Mistaken for Strangers” goes “Make up something to believe in your heart of hearts / So you have something to wear on your sleeve of sleeves.” Similarly, their moodier style lends itself less to dancing and more to yelling out one’s sadness and pain.

But The National is no one trick pony—indeed, the highlight of the show was “I Need My Girl,” a simple and earnest love song about Berninger missing his wife while on tour. Maggie Rogers, a singer-songwriter who had played the same stage earlier in the day (read a short review of her performance here), joined him on vocals. Her higher, drawn out notes provided a wonderful contrast with Berninger’s clipped, almost conversational baritone, emphasizing the yearning that is the emotional backbone of the lyrics.

Bringing Rogers onstage was only the largest example of the band’s desire to give the audience a good show. Although light on banter, Berninger did talk briefly about his history with Boston. At least once, he threw his cup into the crowd, only half-empty (a stunt this reporter saw him pull at Bonnaroo in 2013). Another highlight was Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the twin brother guitarists, faced off in a joint guitar solo. Behind all of this, a massive screen displayed animation, often reminiscent of VHS distortion and other retro effects, overlaid with a heavily stylized live video feed of the band. Whereas most bands had purely animation or a still image as a backdrop, with live feed on screens to each side, The National’s mixture of the two perhaps mirrored the self–reflective nature of their music.

The National proved that their particular brand of contemplative tunes could very well be adapted for a live performance by bringing out the rock roots of their music. All too quickly, however, the concert was over, but Berninger made sure he and his band left on the same note they entered on by closing with “Terrible Love,” one of their best tracks. And yes, the song is as grim as its title suggests. In the summer heat, amidst so much celebration, The National gave its audience space for contemplation and commiseration as the day slipped into night.

—Staff writer Ethan B. Reichsman can be reached at ethan.reichsman@thecrimson.com.