The National is often described as a band “you must see live.” Those who have not been fortunate enough to see them in the past can now experience the band’s performances through new enthralling live recordings in Rome—released as a double album, the twenty-one-track digital and two-LP set was recorded on June 3rd, 2024, at the Italian capital’s open-air Cavea at Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, named after the iconic composer.
The track list spans the band’s twenty-five-year history, allowing fans to hear songs presented in different lights than their initial studio releases. The set begins with “Runaway” from 2010’s High Violet. It immediately introduces the intricate guitar stylings of twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner, who lay a platform for lead singer Matt Berninger’s classic baritone voice.
Another takeaway from the first performance is that power touring member Kyle Resnick’s trumpet playing enhances the band’s live performances. A trio from last year’s release, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, follows the opener with powerful renditions of “Eucalyptus,” “Tropic Morning News,” and a captivating “New Order T-Shirt.”
One early standout on the record is “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” a staple of the band’s live shows. The song builds in intensity as it progresses. It is followed by “The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness,” which allows drummer Bryan Devendorf to shine, backed by the applauding crowd.
An energetic delivery of “Don’t Swallow The Cap” is the first of four songs from the band’s sixth studio album, Trouble Will Find Me. A compelling version of “I Need My Girl,” a forcefully driven “Humiliation,” and a heavy-sounding “Graceless” round off the inclusions from the 2013 release.
“Murder Me Rachael” from 2003’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is the earliest of The National’s work represented in the set and again allows the brass section of Resnick and trombonist Ben Lanz to come to the fore with their blaring notes underpinning Berninger’s impassioned wails of, “Tomorrow won’t be pretty”.
Towards the closing stages of the set, “Fake Empire” is warmly received with audible crowd participation before “Smoke Detector” sees Berninger giving an intense spoken-word performance of the closing song from last year’s surprise album Laugh Track. A positively celebratory version of “Mr November,” an anthem from 2008’s Alligator, builds and builds to the zealous chant of, “I won’t fuck us over, I’m Mr November”, during which you can hear the intensity with which Berninger sings the chorus.
Two tracks from High Violet bring the record to a close. The explosive “Terrible Love” leads into a “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, ” giving the ecstatic crowd a last chance for a singalong. Rome offers a comprehensive live demonstration of The National. It provides warm takes on some of their most famed tracks, such as “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “I Need My Girl”, and “Fake Empire,” while breathing new life into more recently released songs, including “Tropic Morning News” and “Smoke Detector.”
The band is known for its ever-changing setlists, and this is reflected in Rome, with rarely heard numbers such as “Lemonworld” and “The Geese of Beverly Road” being given their moments in the spotlight. It may not be one of the greatest live recordings ever released, but it is a brilliant documentation of one of the finest live acts currently touring.
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