All things considered, The National’s concert Saturday night at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium had all the elements of a terrible show. Picture the band performing gloomy songs about bad friendships in a drab venue located in a sketchy area of San Francisco. However, calling the concert terrible could not be farther from the truth.
Frontman Matt Berninger captivated the audience with his deep baritone, as rich and textured live as it is in studio. All he had to do was sing–the energy in his voice was more than adequate to carry the crowd.
The concert began as opening act Wye Oak wowed those unfamiliar with them. Their energetic sound–part noise pop (replete with screeching guitar distortion), part gentle folk-rock–particularly shone on “Holy Holy.” Furthermore, singer and guitarist Jenn Wasner engendered laughs and cheers as she expressed excitement in playing a large venue: “We look better the farther away you are from us, so it’s good for us and it’s good for you!”
It was clear that some people had come just to see the second opener, Local Natives. Lively and fun, they did not disappoint. The live version of their hit single “Airplanes” was even better than the studio version, as taut verses built up to lead singer Kelcey Ayer belting out the chorus.
Finally, it was time for The National, who came on to rousing cheers. The audience did not dance or rave, but rather did the indie-concert head-bob. Nevertheless, it was evident from the nods, excited smiles and hushed singing of lyrics that the crowd was savoring the experience. Matt Berninger, along with brother duos Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, and backup musicians on trumpet and trombone perfectly moderated the intensity to enrapture the audience. The set started out soft with “Runaway” and then mixed in some of their bigger, more anthem-like hits such as “Bloodbuzz Ohio” and “Fake Empire” with softer songs. Many of their tracks built up to epic endings, and the band took advantage of this, tensing the audience up for what everyone knew was coming. The rolling piano of “Fake Empire” expertly built up to the song’s climax, at which point the trumpet and trombone went all out.
Flashing lights (red for “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” blue for “England”) mostly complemented the music. However, while Berninger repeatedly screamed, “My mind’s not right” from “Abel,” blinding white lights blinked on and off. Imagine someone shining a flashlight right into your eyes, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the kind of pain inflicted. The backdrop was a screen, which played movie-like scenes. It often displayed each of the band members playing his instrument but was most interesting in “Afraid of Everyone.” For this song, two rows of giant eyes stared out, adding a creepy intensity to the haunting, paranoid lyrics.
During the encore performance of “Mr. November,” Berninger climbed down into the crowd and ran through it, singing expertly as crazily screaming people reached out to touch him. It was the highlight to a perfect night.