Another clear high point was opener Baby Dayliner. Wow, how do I even begin to describe Baby Dayliner? He looked like a cross between Vanilla Ice and Randy Travis, shimmied and swayed like a Star Search contestant, and crooned like some mix of Vegas headliner and classic soul legend. With his prerecorded beats pumping out of a soundsystem, he became a one-man-sensation, right down to his pompadour and suit jacket. It was all ridiculously entertaining, not to mention sonically fresh. Better yet, his performance never crossed into the tempting danger zones of irony or quotation. Baby Dayliner was just doing his electro-pop-neo-soul-retro-new-wave thing and doing it extremely well. And just to top out his cool factor completely? The man had none other than Ian Bavitz among his crew that night.
Next up was the Mobius Band, a young threesome from Brooklyn-via-Massachusetts not quite as original as their antecedent. At first, they trafficked in the kind of hooky guitar alternarock that defined mid-90s indie: catchy enough but indistinctive. But my interest was piqued when they started incorporating more electronic elements. That’s where their sound picked up and they started standing apart. I’d be interested to see where Mobius Band will go next and if they can separate themselves from the pack a little further.
And then it was time for the main event. Members of the National came up on stage, casually testing their equipment, as I jockeyed for the best position in the front row. The hall was getting more and more packed, more stray elbows finding their way to my back. But then the lights dimmed and everyone collectively relaxed and rejoiced. The band wasted no time in testing out new material, kicking off with “Start A War” from their as-yet-untitled fourth LP due in March. It was expectedly lovely and melodic, one of those songs in the vein of “Cherry Tree” that are bound to creep up on you.
From there, it was a heavy dose of Alligator, which if you don’t already know was by far my favorite album of 2005. So yeah, I was pretty enraptured. (That’s a generous way of saying I was embarrassing and singing along with every song and taking pictures like a parent at a graduation ceremony.) Early on, their deliveries of songs like "Secret Meeting" and "Lit Up" hewed faithfully to the recorded versions, but as the set went on, the band started to experiment. The guitars and bass led the charge, with the Dessner brothers and Scott Devendorf adding raucous fuzz and volume in unexpected ways. Australian violist/violinist Padma Newsome, also Bryce Dessner's cohort in Clogs, was equally essential, jumping into the mix with stirring energy.
Then it was back to cranking up Alligator with some divergences into Cherry Tree. (The only two songs from their last album not to appear were "Val Jester" and unfortunately "Friend of Mine.") I was hoping for a curveball pluck from their back catalogue along the lines of "Pay For Me" or "90-Mile Water Wall," but the band seemed more intent on looking forward.
 As always, one of the best versions of the night was "Abel," which is just destined to rock live. Berninger's twitchy, unhinged performance adds another compelling layer to the music, as he cradles the mic to his ear and suddenly detonates into the chorus. The only two versions that didn’t work for me were "All The Wine" and "Looking For Astronauts," which were too noisy and unfocused and drowned out the vocals. Berninger also forwent awesomely screaming "I'm in a STATE! I'm in a STATE!" on the former, as I saw him do in February and at earlier shows.  The National came back for a three-song chorus, closing with another new player to the team, "Fake Empire." It was another great set by one of my all-time favorite bands, only stoking my hunger to see them again and soon. Scott Devendorf came out and talked a little, shaking a few hands. Someone asked where the National was heading next. "We’ll be in Eugene tomorrow, then Portland after that," he said. Hmm... I could probably make it up to Eugene by tomorrow, I thought, already envisioning the miles of open road and hitchhiking set to the score of "Driver, Surprise Me." Instead, I forced myself to wander back onto the street, galvanized, exhausted, thrilled, and totally ready to inherit that glimmering world out there.  Note the Bryce Dessner autograph |
Comments on "The National @ Great American Music Hall, 10-12-06"
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Dust Road said ... (1:02 AM) :
post a commentthanx for the review and the sneak preview on the National's new songs. i'm literaly holding my breath till their next album.