The National review: Thrilling show at 3Arena, Dublin, continues the love affair
The National at 3Arena, Dublin, on Thursday night.
★★★★☆
Quite how a downbeat five piece from Ohio became such a big seller in Ireland in the last decade remains to be seen, but their return to Dublin's 3Arena was their 20th show in this country the past 13 years, since they lit up St James's Church in Dingle as part of the Other Voices festival.
As such, there is always a chance of burnout on both sides with such a degree of familiarity, though there was little sign of that on Thursday night in Dublin. Remarkably, they hadn't performed since 2018 in the capital, despite multiple return trips to Ireland since then, most recently in Cork and Limerick at start of summer 2022.
Since then, the band have released two albums, including the surprise release Laugh Track which came just a few days ago. There were a few in the crowd who seemed to miss that particular bit of news, but it didn't do much to damage the atmosphere.
The new tracks went down a storm amidst a two hour show heavily peppered with fan favourites from throughout their ten album career.
The National are a band that have thrived on community and in the last decade and a half in Ireland, they have built a committed fan base, with some remarking that this was their fifth or sixth time seeing the band. It's the type of fandom usually reserved for the likes of Bruce Springsteen, or Taylor Swift.
They are often the butt of jokes about their down tempo music but have leaned into it: t shirts and caps with the words 'Sad Dads' on them are a big seller on the night.
Anyone who had seen them before knew what to expect. After this long on the road, they have the show down to a T, save for a few forgotten lyrics that drew jokes from the other band members.
Frontman Matt Berninger's booming baritone sets the tone, the brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner are on guitars setting the tempo, while the band's other set of brothers, Scott and Bryan Devendorf, leave ears ringing with thundering drums and bass.
They are quite chatty, mostly talking about how much Ireland means to the band, and referencing their work from across the years. Early on, they promise "songs old and new" because of how much of a role Ireland has played in their development, playing the deep cut 'Abel' from their 2008 album Alligator in tribute to a small number who saw them in Whelans before it all took off.
Frontman Berninger disappears into the crowd on more than one occasion, audience members clamouring to get within a few feet of him as his baritone gives way to a cracking scream. We have been here before, but the trick still works. The community swarms around him.
The show crescendos at a few points - a spectacular version of 'About Today' is a real highlight, as well as a new track, 'Space Invader', which rounds out the set, before ultimately spilling into the ultimate showing of community: the band and crowd in full song in an acoustic rendition of 'Vanderlyle'..., an album closer from a decade ago, while Berninger hugs and applauds with the front row. Ireland loves The National and, on this showing, The National love Ireland too.
