Last night I had the absolute joy/pleasure/honour of watching The National, supported by Phosphorescent, at Glasgow's o2 Academy. This may have been the best three hours of my gig-going life.
A word, first, for Phosphorescent. Matt Houck and the boys played a blinder, Brian. This is the sound of a band finding their voice out on the road, taking the songs from their recorded form and expanding them in a live setting, going from country crooning to all out jamming. Special praise goes to the versions of "Wolves" "Los Angeles" and "Dead Heart".
Onto The National. I think I've made it clear in this blog before that I see this band as the finest working in music today. Last night's performance only served to back me up on this assertion. From the word go, it was a simply incredible experience. Beginning with "Runaway" from High Violet, the brooding five of The National (ably supported by two horn players and Thomas 'Doveman' Bartlett on keys) produced an epic set with endless high points.
There was a thunderous version of "Bloodbuzz Ohio", a beautifully chiming "All The Wine", a storming run through "Conversation 16'......I could go on, and I will.
Matt Berninger clambered into the audience for an euphoric version of "Mr November", balanced on the barriers for for a passionate "Terrible Love" and an "England" that far surpassed the recorded version. There was also a quite glorious and gorgeous version of "Slow Show", a personal favourite of mine.
However, the highlight was the final song of the encore. The band asked that no-one talked, but they could help sing along, for a microphone-less acoustic version of "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks". Completely unaided by amplification, you could hear a pin drop as The National performed the song, with help from the Glasgow crowd. It's a moment I will never forget, the emotion and euphoria coursing through the auditorium, leading to one of the finest musical moments I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
I can't praise The National enough. Believe me, I'm trying.
