In The Grey of The National

The National performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jacob Alvarez

2nd sold out show at greek offered unique set

Ten years ago I was introduced to The National by my own doing. In 10th grade, I had my friend download music onto a flashdrive because she had everything or could get it at least. I didn’t start diving into the illegal download game until the following year, but I also stopped around the same time too. I asked her to get me Cage the Elephant’s Melophobia, Mechanical Bull from Kings of Leon, and one of the coolest titled records ever, The National’s Trouble Will Find Me. Although I adore Cage the Elephant, Trouble Will Find Me was what I gravitated toward most. I could name the track list in order with “Graceless” providing the introduction as the album’s single. Even though the band had been around over 10 years prior, that album became my definition of them. I would go to school, hang out with friends, watch Game of Thrones at my grandma’s house, and listen to The National in between. From there, the music began to spill into my life completely.

In one of my science courses, we were tasked with creating a presentation on an endangered species. I created a PowerPoint on the sea turtle and used “Hard to Find” as the backing music. Received an A of course. I even stayed up to watch the band perform on Saturday Night Live. After everything, I found myself with a ticket and photo pass in hand to finally witness what the audience at that taping saw.

Soccer Mommy performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jacob Alvarez

The Greek Theatre began filling up for opener Soccery Mommy, though I wish more people arrived earlier. Singer Sophia Allison crushed her short set, playing tracks off her latest LP, last year’s Sometimes Forever. I watched the band end their performance from the front of house while many dudes dressed in “New Order T-Shirt” and “Sad Dad” shirts looked for their seats. The National are naturally headliners due to their extensive careers in the indie-alternative scene plus it never hurts to have collaborations with that of Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers. Their exquisite sound has transcended media in an exotic way that not many bands of their genre and style receive, so to have not one but two sold out shows at the Greek was an easy feat, impressive nonetheless.

The National performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jacob Alvarez

After an hour of set up, the sky was showcasing stars and the band screens on stage offered a behind the scenes look of the band members getting ready to walk out. Singer Matt Berninger chatted with his bandmates and stared into the void, checking out for a minute as if he was unsure of where he was. Still looked dapper though. The camera followed them like a WWE entrance until they kicked off the show with “Once Upon a Poolside.” The National were beginning strong with cuts off their new record First Two Pages of Frankenstein, before diving into older albums like High Violet and Boxer. Of course, I geeked out when anything from Trouble Will Find Me was performed, the first being “Demons” which was followed by “Sea of Love!” The lyrics to the latter haunt me in the best way possible; “If I stay here, trouble will find me. If I stay here, I’ll never leave.” My thoughts exactly. Berninger asks how to reach his friend in that track as well so to have him embody the lyric and come into the audience during the concert was something so enigmatic, more than a crowd surf or audience participation. I hadn’t seen that too much.

The National performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jacob Alvarez

The show spanned 26 songs and the banter between Berninger with guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dessner made the 5900 capacity venue smaller like a family at the dinner table. The band debuted “Quiet Light” live for the first time on this tour from 2019’s I Am Easy to Find. I got to experience “Graceless” and the guitar solo from “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness.” I don’t say this often, but the night couldn’t have managed to be better. The outdoor venue provided a peaceful backdrop to the band’s music which acts expansive yet enclosed. The music feels dark and brooding, but the band put on the performance with glee and fascination. The National remind me fo the color grey, for all those reasons and more. And with an evening that culminated with the stealing of my car, the show still had me appreciative. 2013 me was happy and you can never go wrong with appeasing your inner child. Check out the set list here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!