Scene + Tube :: The National

So in case you haven't noticed, The National is my favorite band currently. I loved their Bonnaroo set so much that I couldn't think of anything to write about them without sounding geeky and fanboy-ish. Well, I saw them again this past Saturday in Atlanta at the Variety Playhouse, and while I'm still not going to go into too much detail for fear of geeking out completely, I do have a couple thoughts to share.

First of all, back when I saw them at Bonnaroo, Boxer had only been out for a month or so, and while some people sang along, it was mostly during 'Abel' - the fist-pumping anthem from previous album Alligator. However, given a little extra time in the public consciousness, every track from Boxer was accompanied by most of the crowd quietly singing along. Standing right up front, it was beautiful hearing all that singing floating over my head from behind.

Also, how amazing is Matt Berninger? He was sick with that plague-like end-of-summer cold that's been going around, and he still screamed his lungs out when he needed to while spasming around the stage like Michael Stipe. God, him doing 'Mr. November' was awe-inspiring. The band was in immaculate form as well. While Bryan Devendorf's drums move and shape the album, it's perhaps more apparent in their live show. And the guitars! God, the guitars...

OK, I feel myself starting to geek out a little bit, so I'm going to stop there. But I'll leave you with 'Apartment Story,' the brand new video from The National. Like another of my favorite videos of the year, it ties into the album cover art pretty heavily.