The National captivates Rock the Garden with wavering performance

The National headlined Rock the Garden 2019 with a set heavy on tunes from their 2019 release I Am Easy To Find. Singer Matt Berninger took the stage and tossed a black towel into the crowd, commenting that he just wiped the melted gummies off of his hands with it. Soon after, it became obvious that he probably wasn’t joking.

Much like last year’s festival, it was a sweltering hot day in Minneapolis. But when The National took to the main stage at 8:45pm, a light breeze filled the air and it turned into a beautiful summer evening. The National started off with their newest single “You Had Your Soul With You“, before proceeding into “Quiet Light” and “Hey Rosey” from I Am Easy To Find. With the addition of female backup singers, horns, and an additional drummer, the new songs were mesmerizing and trance-inducing. Throughout “Quiet Light”, Berninger teeter-tottered at the edge of the stage, crouching and posing while howling out in his distinctive baritone voice.

At the end of “Hey Rosey”, he tried to hold a pose for us photographers up front while standing on one leg before tossing his drink in the air which exploded on stage. “Did you get the shot? Did you get it?” he asked us. It made me laugh before I made my way back into the crowd. “Don’t Swallow the Cap” from The National’s 2013 album Trouble Will Find Me was upbeat and finally got the crowd grooving and moving along. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” from the amazing 2010 album High Violet sounded great as well. As darkness fell, the show had gained momentum and “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” from the band’s 2017 album Sleep Well Beast was absolutely amazing. Matt Berninger entered the crowd and sang while brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner ground at their guitars onstage. It was a definite highlight of the night.

“Graceless” was played next and Matt Berninger sang sloppily before getting back on the tracks and absolutely pushing the energy to a new level as the song drove on. “Mr. November” played late in the set was another highlight. Berninger once again jumped the rail and walked through the crowd as the band rocked hard.

After Berninger returned to the stage at the end of “Mr. November”, the band had enough time for two more songs. They started one, but Matt stopped it and announced that someone in the crowd needed immediate medical attention. It was a sobering several minutes as security and medical staff pulled out a crowd member and took him behind the stage. With little time left before curfew, the band changed their setlist and ended Rock the Garden with their hit single “Terrible Love” from High Violet. The crowd sang along and the music sounded pure in the warm summer air. It was a beautiful ending to a captivating performance that at times felt like it could’ve gone awry. Riding that line is oftentimes where the magic happens, and The National at Rock the Garden thankfully was no exception.

Courtney Barnett

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