The National – Ogden Theater, Denver, CO, 18/09/07

In a rare Denver appearance (I’d heard this was only their second time playing here, the last instance being two years ago), The National gig at the Ogden Theater capped off a long weekend of absolutely terrific live music in my hometown. Between Okkervil River, Monolith Festival, and the Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem spectacle, however, they did have some hard acts to follow.

Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent) opened the show – I’d had conflicting feelings about how I would receive her; though I’d only given it a couple of listens, I hadn’t warmed to her critically acclaimed solo debut Marry Me. She played her set in near darkness, continuously shifting between guitar, synthesizers and drums. For such a tiny wisp of a woman, Annie certainly has a commanding, and at times angelic, voice. I enjoyed her set quite a bit, and even gained a new appreciation for her album.

The National took the stage with little fanfare; it soon became obvious that this band is all about the music and not so much about appearances. They blazed through their set, covering most of the material from Boxer along with plenty of older favorites. Altered arrangements on certain songs made for some interesting twists – the most notable being a more up-tempo “Racing Like A Pro”, a rocked out “Squalor Victoria”, and a maniacal, lose all abandon, rendition of “Mr. November” to end the show.

The performance was much more energetic (I’d even go so far as to say explosive) than I would have expected from listening to their albums. Though seemingly a bit nervous and out of place between songs, Matt Berninger is a captivating front man. I found it difficult to tear my attention away from his arm-flailing, mike-stand strangling antics enough to give the rest of the band notice. What I did take in is how professional and talented this band is. The brothers Dessner, along with Scott Devendorf, seemed to go about their business quietly, providing the perfect backdrop for Berninger’s gorgeous lyrics. Bryan Devendorf is just about as good of a drummer as you’re likely to find anywhere. Despite the above average performances of all involved, though, the real highlight was the instrument-hopping, part-time-National Padma Newsome. In addition to his keyboard work, the man is a complete fiend on the violin.

The National proved themselves more than worthy to cap off what had to have been the best five days of indie rock this state has ever seen. Moreover, they succeeded in entrenching Boxer ever deeper as my choice of album of the year. Let’s just hope they don’t wait another two years to come back through town.

Links
The National [boxer album review] [interview]