06.29.2007 The National

Admittedly, I was sort of back and forth on this show. I didn't really make an effort to get tickets until they were sold out and people were trying to sell tickets on craigslist for $45-50 a pop ($20 face). On a whim, I went down to Richards with low expectations and got into the "no tickets people" line and hoped they would sell more than 15 at the door. Well they did and I got in...

..to find that a band was already on stage tweaking their sound. Now I'm not exactly the National's biggest fan, but I could probably pick out their lead singer out of a line-up of 3-4 other people if they all had distinct faces, and the singer onstage looked like him. Interesting.... At this point I'm thinking that was the National (possibly) on stage, the opener couldn't make it over the border (also possible we found out later that that did happen, and almost arrested apparently too) and that the National would play an extended set starting now:



oops looks I like missed the part when he said "we'll play part of a song." Yep just a late sound check. Still kind of cool I guess.





Well I don't really have much new information to report, aside from the guitarist mentioning that they would be back in September. As other people have suggested during their tour w/ CYHASY, they're much much better live than on album. Lots of energy that you wouldn't expect from hearing their album. They even had a jam-out noise-indulgence thing during the last song where the guitarist broke a string or two.









$20/$20