There was a real sense of expectation and excitement during the wait for the band to walk onto the gold lamé draped stage – and they were greeted with adoration when they finally did.
Frontman Matt Berninger was in fine voice throughout, but he appeared reluctant to waste his deep, dulcet tones on conversation with the audience, preferring to step back from the spotlight between songs and only come forward again for the start of the next tune. Although brief, these periods of dead air meant that the set felt slightly disjointed at times.
The gig started slowly, but built in intensity. ‘Racing Like A Pro’, from their most recent album Boxer, was performed exquisitely, the poignant “Oh my god, it was a million years ago” lyric softly intoned by the crowd. ‘Slow Show’, from the same record was equally moving. However it wasn’t until the conclusion of their set, the climactic ‘Fake Empire’, that The National truly took off.
The performance at last attained all the energy and passion that was lacking at the start, and it was the first time that the band appeared as if they might actually be enjoying themselves, with violinist Padma Newsome deserving particular commendation: his energy and passion when centre-stage were electrifying. Following this high, The National returned for a three-song encore, finishing on a high note.
Leaving The Olympia, I spied some female fans in hot pursuit of Matt Berninger, who had almost managed to slip out unnoticed amongst the crowd. These particular fans were more than satisfied with the night, one going so far as to declare it the “best gig ever’” – but I was less convinced. At times it was brilliant, but on occasion there was a curious lack of dynamism and energy.
A classic case of expecting too much perhaps?