October 5th, 2012
By Iain McDavid |
Music |
Posted In: Live Music, Reviews, Local Music
The National at The Emery Theatre 10/4/12 (Photo: Catie Viox)
REVIEW: The National at Emery Theatre
The National at The Emery Theatre 10/4/12 (Photo: Catie Viox)
Cincinnati, for me, has always been contradictory and
confusing. After living here for so long I’m still ambivalent as to how I feel
about it. The National certainly pushed me in the more positive direction
with their show Oct. 4 at Emery Theatre. The
Cincy-bred band summoned fans with a free show in support of
President Obama and filled the historic venue, front to back.
The National’s set was evidently well thought-out, opening with the powerful "Mistaken for Strangers," with the vocals and drums seemingly soaring through the theater. If you haven’t had a chance to catch a show at Emery Theatre (my first experience was last week), you should certainly make that a priority. The theater, coupled with a band like the National, truly makes for an unforgettable experience. The venue alone creates a sense of intimacy between audience and act, something that is usually sacrificed to see your favorite bands.
From the very start of
the set, the audience was completely engaged with the boys on stage, bursting
into cheers and applause at the every songs beginning and end (and even during
songs at times).
The only drawback for me was the fact that Matt Berninger would
simply not let me forget that the show was political. It seemed as if in
between every song some sort of Democratic rhetoric (not that the other side’s
rhetorical strategies are any better) was interjected. Something about the importance of voting, or how
privileged we are, which is somewhat obnoxious at that point. It’s highly
doubtful that anybody was suddenly converted by The National, and even more so
that anyone in attendance last night was slightest bit unsure about their vote.
I suppose that’s mostly my fault, though — I should expect such from a campaign concert.
All that aside, the audience was left in a state of bliss by
the concert's end, as The National closed out their set with an unplugged
version "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks." Earlier in the night, I had spoken to a
friend who had said the venue was acoustically pure, meaning that even without
any sort of amplification, the sound would still resonate throughout the entire
theater — and he couldn’t be more right.
The sound was not hindered in any way (I was a few rows back) and it
carried through the historic site as if I was the only one there. The closer truly unified the entire show into
a ecstatic experience that I will certainly not forget.
Click here for more photos from the concert.
I thought the sound was terrible at the Emery last night. It seemed like they had some makeshift speaker set up. The drums (which are usually a focal point of The National's music) could barely be heard and everything else sounded very muddy.
While I agree the sound was pretty awful, they did get a few kinks out after Matt yelled at the sound guy. By the way, does anyone know what song they were playing when Matt first started screaming? I think it was Apartment Story, but I'm not entirely sure.
I think it was "Squalor Victoria" when Matt started yelling.
I have no clue at what show the reviewer was, as the sound at the National show, like others have commented, was nothing short of atrocious. It was like listening to an AM station from the planet Mars. Very amateur-like. I was almost tempted to leave the show about 30 min. into it but I thought, hey get over it, you get what you pay for (which was... nothing, of course). A shame, as the Emery is a lost treasure and it's nice to see it coming back.