... back after seeing The National at Kool Haus.

The National are...

Well, this is kinda what The National sound like.



I've been trying to find a way to say what they are. They had a slight country twinge to them in the early days, but it was more of a Matthew Sweet country sound than No Depression - it's an accent, not a language. You could say that there's a little bit of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen in them, but that doesn't really do them justice either. I think the best way to put it is that The National sound like what a band called "The National" would sound like.

I had been looking forward to this show for a long time. The National are not huge. They are talked about in certain circles and passed around, acting like a shibboleth that gives a little more credence to the speaker. I know only two people who saw them live before. I saw only a little bit of a performance on Letterman. That was it. Since they sounded like no-one else that I had ever seen live (at least in a club), I had no frame of reference, no way to say "This should be a show like..."

Playing against a wall of tinsel-like streamers, The National gave their first real concert of 2009, as they told the crowd a few times. Some of the rust was evident: the set didn't flow, didn't feel like it had been road tested. There were a few missed cues and some awkward changes.

On the other hand, The National play a tight, no frills set - they have nothing to prove because it's in the music. There's a light show, enhanced by the tinsel backing, but it's deceptively simple. They merely walks out on stage, no fanfare, pick up their instruments and play. The band, which included a three piece brass section and a keyboardist, might be one of the best bands playing right now in American music, rivaling the current incarnation of Wilco.

Like Wilco, there are also shambolic aspects of their performance, mostly courtesy of lead singer Matt Berninger. He began the night in control, understated like the rest of the band. As the show progressed he seemed to gather steam, shake off his rust, and start to really get into what he was doing, sometimes to the detriment of his performance - such as during the encore when he pretty much bought Kool Haus a new microphone.

This might be what make The National so hard to pigeonhole. They're a tight musical unit (and for my money, feature the best drummer in indie rock today in Bryan Devendorf who also seemed to do his own setup and check prior to their set), but they also swing. It's not a wild swing, but there's a confidence, a swagger that goes into their music: We know we're good, and we don't need to beat you into submission to prove it. Because of this there is a subtlety that can be lost when playing a club. Berninger then becomes the focal point. He carries the show, he projects the moods of the music to the crowd. It's music that needs to be LISTENED to, and he makes sure you're paying attention.

Kool Haus still remains one of the most annoying places to see a concert. I don't think they have the air conditioner on yet, and it's the hardest building in the city to get out of. There's no reason after the renovations they could not have either put in an overflow exit in the back, or fix it so that the main entrance didn't funnel everyone though three standard-sized doors.

The crowd was mostly True Believers since The National *AHEM* DON'T GET A LOT OF AIRPLAY HERE HINT HINT. However, I would like to say the following:

• There is a new category of concert goer: Stands with back to the band person. This person is more interested in chatting with their friends, and as such spends most of the night not really acknowledging the band. All conversations at a club should be like Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott's conversation in Singles: Facing the band, just moving your head enough to acknowledge the person, and short.
• If you're going to come to a show and talk about how much you love each song while they are playing the song, do the following: stay home, plug your iPod into your high-fidelity, or hi-fi, system and then remove the plug a little bit. The sound will now have an airy quality that will actually pass for live. Now you and your friends can stay there and talk allllllllllllll night, and I'll be able to actually hear the song. Yes, I am talking to you, Iron-and-Wine-tshirt-guy-with-the-messenger-bag-and-two-high-pitched-girl-friends.