Torsdag 8.august
The National were back at Øyafestivalen to promote their two most recent albums First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track, released back-to-back in 2023. I’m glad this concert took place on the Sirkus stage so we could enjoy the full scale of their visual production.
The band opened the show with the deep cut Sea of Love, followed by two newer songs, Eucalyptus and Tropic Morning News. With the crowd all warmed up, they kicked it up a notch with the high-energy fan favorites Don’t Swallow the Cap, Bloodbuzz Ohio andThe System Only Dreams in Total Darkness. Then Matt dedicated the nostalgic I Need my Girl to his wife Carin.
Matt Berninger is an exceptionally gifted lyricist. His texts are poetic, obscure, and often thrive on confusing or cryptic meanings. He collaborates with artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Bird, Julien Baker, CHVRCHES, Grinderman, Jon Brion, Spiral Stairs as well as Taylor Swift. Last night, his talent shone in songs like Conversation 16, Alien, Day I Die or Light Years. An absolute feast for the ears, the brain and the soul.
The last part of the show comprised of more beloved live classics like the gorgeous England, Graceless, the unmissable Fake Empire (dedicated to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz) and Mr November (renamed Madam November in honor again to Kamala). They closed the show with the melancholic singalong Terrible Love.
This was a relatively compact show with only 16 songs for the National who are used to playing 25-28 songs per concert. Many of their biggest hits were omitted but given that they were given only 75 minutes on stage, this was a ‘safe’ but well balanced setlist.
Over the years, I’ve seen The National numerous times at various European festivals. They’ve always given great performances, although they occasionally gave the impression that performing live was a chore rather than a joy and sporadically looked like a band on cruise-control rather than artists trying to reinvent themselves. This was also noticeable on the more recent albums. Since Sleep Well Beast, the band struggled to maintain or surpass the success they achieved with the previous 4 albums.
That being said, tonight felt different. From the moment they walked on stage, the band appeared to be in a great mood. The Dessner twins were smiling, Matt Berninger looked happy to be on stage and felt more intense and engaging than usual. The stage production was similar to all the previous tours I’ve seen, but understandably, this is also part of their brand and aesthetic.
To sum it all up, this was one of the best concerts I’ve seen of The National. The setlist, the atmosphere, the energy… everything was there. This was a brilliant performance from a band who seem to be back at the peak of their career. 5/6
Text: Olivier Fillion Boutin
Photography: Anne-Marie Forker
