The National- Riverside Theater, August 5, 2013

Simply put, the Cincinnati via Brooklyn quintet, The National, put on a show at the Riverside Theater this past Monday that will have people in attendance talking for months, perhaps even years to come.  The National elevated their live act once again, proving they are one of the best touring acts today.  Perhaps the combination of growing confidence from the musicians, their most accessible album to date, 2013's Trouble Will Find Me, and an incredible digital back drop consisting of a U2esque screen that projected band videos, close-ups and creative lighting effects, all helped contribute to The National's rise to the next level in their performance.

Drawing heavily from Trouble Will Find Me, but also digging into High Violet, The Boxer, and Alligator, The National delivered an over two-hour set of riveting music that had the sold out crowd engaged from the first note of "I Should Live In Salt' to the last thud of Matt Berrigner (lead singer) planting his mic stand heavily on the stage at the end of the encore number, "Vanderlyne Crybaby Geeks."  While the band has become more polished since I first saw them play the Pabst Theater in the fall of 2007, the intimacy of their performance remained palpable and a key reason they are an act you can't take your eye off.    Older favorites like "Sorrow," "Afraid of Everyone," "Squalor Victoria," and "Apartment Story" worked seamlessly with newer numbers like "This Is The Last Time," "I Need My Girl," and "Sea of Love," (which had a capacity theater of mostly early-thirtysomethings sing, in fake baritone unison,  the refrain, "and if I leave here, trouble will find me.")  Even the encore showcased the deepness of the band's catalog, playing a new track, "Humiliation," along with the always popular "Mr. November," and "Terrible Love."

Berringer is an unlikely rocker if there ever was one.  A tall and lanky man dressed in a suit with large glasses, Berringer, as always, delivered his deep baritone vocals while clutching his microphone stand, swaying back and forth, nervously twitching his hands and imbibing in glasses of wine in between numbers. The tightness of the rest of the band was noteworthy.  Like on their last tour, The National brought a horn section along.   The horns added a perfect accompaniment to the soundscapes that dominated many of the tracks.  The whole unit was firing on all cylinders, and delivered a truly memorable performance.

Grade: This is gonna be darn hard to top as show of the year

Setlist from the show:

Photos courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch.  More of Stephen's fantastic photos can be seen in Relix Magazine by following this link.

The Shouting Matches- Turner Hall Ballroom 8/1/13

If you and your close pals formed a band, what would it sound like?  For Justin Vernon, the answer to that question is a power blues trio, that goes by the name "The Shouting Matches."  Playing only a handful of shows in support of their first full-length album, Grownass Man, Vernon and his band mates, Phil Cook (of Megafun) and Brian Moen (of Peter Wolf Crier) delivered an evening of rock 'n roll in its purest form. In many ways, despite Turner Hall being as full as I recall ever seeing it, the show itself felt like you were seeing a friend's band in a small club-- equal parts intimate, friendly and accessible.

This was a no-frills rock how at its finest, featuring three very talented and engaging musicians who spent the evening enjoying one another's company and playing darn good foot-stomping music in the process.  The evening kicked off with the Grownass Man opener, "Avery Hill," which got the sold-out crowd grooving.  Heavier numbers like "Mother, When?" and "Bear" (from the limited release EP- Mouthoil) could easily have been inserted on a Black Keys record.  "I Had A Real Good Lover," sounded like bluesier classic Rolling Stones material (with Vernon singing falsetto for the only time during the evening).  "Heaven Knows" featured Cook ripping it up on harmonica over Vernon's pounding guitar riffs which brought back memories of seeing local blues man Jim Liban do likewise at the Up a Under.  My favorite track from Grownass Man, "Gallup, NM" featured Cook on organ and sounded like vintage Wallflowers.  These tracks were all accessible to the listener and pleased the audience.



 What impressed me the most about this band was the sheer musicianship exhibited on stage.  For a band who has only played a handful of shows together, it felt and sounded like these guys had been touring  for years.  Moen is a terrific percussionist, much in the same style of The Black Keys' Patrick Carney.  Cook is an accomplished organist and rhythm guitarist who held the band together.  As for Vernon, he was a real "wow" as an axe man.  His work with Bon Iver would never have given the impression that Vernon was as accomplished as he is on guitar.  His jam on "Gallup, NM" channeled Warren Haynes and even sounded a bit like the late Jerry Garcia.

Overall, this was an impressive evening of music and I felt very grateful to be able to see a rare show by a talented band.  In many ways, I liked this show just as much as the Bon Iver show I saw at the Riverside a few years ago, but for very different reasons. One thing's for certain, Justin Vernon is one talented dude and has a great career ahead of him.

Grade: A


All photos courtesy of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch.  

 Some pics of the merch:  You'd be surprised how many people in he audience were buying the "Grownass Man" take top (I was not one of them, fortunately for my wife).  This shirt is somewhat ironic in my opinion.


I also got a chuckle out of the cassette tapes.  Haven't seen one of those on sale at a show for many many years!