Last Friday night I was fortunate to see The National perform at the historic Pabst Theater.
The last time I saw The National, they were the opener for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Since then, The National has grown into a well-respected, favorite band out of their indie counterparts – a fact that’s evident by their nearly sold-out show at The Pabst.
As Eric and I picked up our tickets from Will Call, I was anxious to get into the theater. I even skipped dinner just to get decent seats – I wasn’t going to miss this chance to hear tracks from their latest album Boxer, live in Milwaukee.
I’ve known about The National since 2005 when Alligator fell into my lap before its scheduled release date – that was one luxury of working in radio. Initially, I was indifferent as Alligator received mixed reviews, yet it grew on me. By the end of the year, the album appeared on many of the "Best of 2005" lists and became a favorite in my collection.
As a result, 2007’s Boxer was met with a high level of anticipation both for me and the music industry. Thankfully, it proved to be an outstanding follow-up as songs like “Slow Show” and “Fake Empire” leak the same sentimental tones as Alligator, but with a new sense of maturity.
We grabbed a Tall Boy from The Pabst Pub and climbed the marble staircase to the first balcony (my favorite place to watch concerts at The Pabst). The lights were down while opener St. Vincent took over the stage and the audience – something that’s pretty hard to do when you’re a solo artist, but with her striking voice and powerful stage presence she was easily able to captivate the open-minded crowd.
After selecting second row aisle seats, I began to scan the room. I saw groups of 30-somethings who casually crowded the stage below and a row over sat two groupies who were singing along with such conviction in every word that I’m sure they’ve followed St. Vincent from her days as backup vocalist for The Polyphonic Spree and tours with Sufjan Stevens.
Following St. Vincent’s set an unusually older crowd filed into the theater and filled both the lower levels and first balcony.
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