private joker
10-07-2005, 03:31 AM
Were any other 2+2ers at the Troubadour tonight? Wow, good stuff.
The first band was something like Richard Swift and they played crappy piano-rock. I hate hard-"rockin'" piano stuff that sounds like Elton John meets Billy Joel meets Blues Brothers. Shut up in my opinion.
Then came CYHSY and they basically just stood there and played a bunch of songs by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. No lame inter-song banter, no frills. They just rocked out their album and it was fine. They closed with their best song, "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood." I was impressed and satisfied.
But then the real band took the stage. The National. Holy crap. They were amazing. All six of them were totally focused and raging -- this fiddler who looks like a young David Morse was just going to town on his violin and the percussionist was driving the whole thing. The lead singer, who is one of the best lyricists working in indie rock today, had some mic problems but fronted a hell of a set. The highlight of the entire night was their performance of "Mr. November," an absolutely exhilarating rock screamer that included an eye-popping moment in the chorus when the huge white flood lights rammed on and the band blew the doors off. Women swooned. After the song, the singer did a tiny applause and said, "This is for President Kerry."
The older, non-Alligator songs they did were pretty great, especially the closer they performed just before the encore. It was a haunting breakup ballad driven by quiet strings that built into a whipped swirli-gig of feedback-drenched guitars and slamming drum mallets. The crowd was blown away.
Nobody should miss this tour.
The first band was something like Richard Swift and they played crappy piano-rock. I hate hard-"rockin'" piano stuff that sounds like Elton John meets Billy Joel meets Blues Brothers. Shut up in my opinion.
Then came CYHSY and they basically just stood there and played a bunch of songs by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. No lame inter-song banter, no frills. They just rocked out their album and it was fine. They closed with their best song, "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood." I was impressed and satisfied.
But then the real band took the stage. The National. Holy crap. They were amazing. All six of them were totally focused and raging -- this fiddler who looks like a young David Morse was just going to town on his violin and the percussionist was driving the whole thing. The lead singer, who is one of the best lyricists working in indie rock today, had some mic problems but fronted a hell of a set. The highlight of the entire night was their performance of "Mr. November," an absolutely exhilarating rock screamer that included an eye-popping moment in the chorus when the huge white flood lights rammed on and the band blew the doors off. Women swooned. After the song, the singer did a tiny applause and said, "This is for President Kerry."
The older, non-Alligator songs they did were pretty great, especially the closer they performed just before the encore. It was a haunting breakup ballad driven by quiet strings that built into a whipped swirli-gig of feedback-drenched guitars and slamming drum mallets. The crowd was blown away.
Nobody should miss this tour.