The National‘s noted fanbase of sad dads—as ever, drawn in by the group’s songs of life’s middle-aged emotional weight—and their cheerful companions sweltered in the Bay Area’s second summer at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre on October 6 for one of the last stops on the group’s Zen Diagram tour.
From nearly the show’s start, singer Matt Berninger seemed constrained by the stage’s bounds. In his eagerness to engage with the crowd, he trespassed its edge, hopping between the boxes that had been helpfully installed in front of its lip as if from stone to stone in a creek. These spatial explorations seemed spontaneous—at one point, a crew member had to untangle his mic cord. Midway through the show, Berninger expanded even further, bouncing down to sing among audience members. What a night to be in the standing room area!
Beyond its lead singer’s verve, The National’s hallmark heart-thumping sound and soulful lyrics were also on full display. They opened with “Start a War” followed by “Eucalyptus,” two songs exploring relationships on the precipice of collapse. If this wasn’t enough to get into bereft father feelings, the subsequent “Fake Empire” reminded that the current political malaise is of our own doing, given that “we’re half awake in a fake empire,” a rather pointed rejoiner at the moment.
The experience ended up in a four-song encore that included fan favorites “Terrible Love” and “Light Years.” Ending with “About Today,” The National reminded us that one of life’s antidotes is stepping outside ourselves to connect with each other. With an almost two-hour set, it’s clear The National love their work—such exuberance and authentic audience connection cannot be faked. Maybe we could all stand to hop off our personal stages for a spell?
To open Sunday’s festivities, Lucius, visions in shimmering white and gold robes, furnished a soothing balm to the scorching sun as the audience tricked in, with luscious harmonies, mirrored key and soothing synth sounds.
Later, The War On Drugs played an hour-plus set (with a brief pause to be sure a fan received medical assistance.) Nature lent a hand when a delightful crescent moon rose above the theater’s campanile to create a perfect, “only at the Greek” tableau. Songs “An Ocean Between the Waves,” “Lost in the Dream,” and “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” played with space and time. Our friend and fellow attendee Kostas later mused, “I feel I’m in another dimension when I hear some of their songs … traveling far, far away in a more beautiful place.”
