by Elizabeth Miller ’15, A&E Section Editor

The National returned to Cincinnati last Thursday for their second Obama rally. Four years ago, they had a very similar show on Fountain Square, “Vote Early,

Rock Late”. However, it wasn’t an Obama sponsored rally. This time around, the concert was sponsored by Obama for America’s “Gotta Vote” campaign, at the Emery Theatre.

The National’s members, Scott and Bryan Devendorf, Matt Berninger, and Country Day alumni, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, spent most of Thursday and Friday on the UC and Xavier campuses with clipboards, registering voters. At the concert on Thursday night, they were introduced by leading members of the Obama campaign in the UC community. They continued to talk about the importance of voting throughout the show.

The venue for the concert was a daring, yet effective choice by the organizers. The Emery Theatre is beginning its comeback to become a major concert venue in the Cincinnati area again after having fallen into disuse in 1999. Although the entire concert hall is in slight disrepair, it is impossible to get rid of the fantastic acoustics that are so characteristic of the venue.

Opening with Mistaken for Strangers, a drums-heavy song with a strong baseline, The National immediately took advantage of the acoustics. The lead singer, Matt Berninger, filled the room with a deep baritone voice and an energetic aura. They followed Mistaken with a tribute to their home state, Bloodbuzz Ohio. At that point, the theatre was almost completely filled with head-bobbing hipsters who were singing their hearts out along with Berninger.

The setlist of the concert was very strategically put together. The band carefully chose songs that could be taken in a political way, and also had a good balance of ballads and high-energy tunes. There were five songs off of High Violet, The National’s most recent album, and five off of Boxer. They most likely would have left off any songs from Alligator, if it hadn’t been for the necessity to have Mr. November, the song of the Obama campaign in 2008.

The band also gave the audience a taste of the new material they’re working on with the ballad, I Need My Girl, of which the crowd was a big fan. Many of the long-time fans were also very excited when they played About Today, off of the Cherry Tree EP. However, the biggest treat for most people was the final song of the set. The entire band moved up to the front of stage and the Dessner twins replaced their electric guitars with acoustics; they did a completely acoustic version of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, with no amplification.

Unfortunately, the concert was the length of a festival-set, with only thirteen songs. There was also much less banter between the band members in between songs. Most of the commentary was about the election. Luckily, this less-talkative concert drew more attention to the bass and drums players, Scott and Bryan Devendorf, who are much quieter than the Dessner twins and Berninger, as well as to the brass section of the group, consisting Kyle Resnick on trumpet, and Ben Lanz on trombone. Overall, the concert at Emery theater was a great opportunity to experience both music and politics at the same time.

Setlist:

Mistaken for Strangers

Bloodbuzz Ohio

Afraid of Everyone

Sorrow

Slow Show

Apartment Story

I Need My Girl

Squalor Victoria

Fake Empire

Mr. November

About Today

Terrible Love

Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

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