We’re about halfway through 2019 and it’s clear that The National’s new album I Am Easy to Find (released via 4AD) is one of the year’s best and will remain so as the year goes on. We saw them play the whole album in full ahead of its release back in April at the Beacon Theatre and just saw them perform an intimate and brief set at the iHeartRadio Theater on the album’s release day.
Starting off the night was the ever-reliable Courtney Barnett, still touring hard in support of last year’s Tell Me How You Really Feel (via Mom+Pop Music). The last time we saw her was at this very same location but thankfully this time around the weather held off and we were treated to essentially what was a greatest hits performance of all her best material which certainly got the crowd more than warmed up.
The band has finally kicked off their full proper U.S. tour in support of the album, which brought them to Brooklyn on the night of June 12th for a performance at the Prospect Park Bandshell as a part of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival. This live incarnation of The National once again featured female vocalists Kate Stables of This Is the Kit and Pauline de Lassus Saint-Geniès (aka Mina Tindle) as well as a few appearances from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus who re-created their parts off of the album in stunning fashion, particularly on new songs such as “Oblivions.”
While the new material sounded as touching as ever, something felt off about the way it was mixed for the crowd, lost a bit with the outdoor setting with fans towards the back seated and chatting over many of the songs. However, the band balanced this out with some of their more rockier tracks such as “Graceless,” “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” and of course, “Mr. November” and “Terrible Love.” The band surprised us with old favorites such as “The Geese of Beverly Road,” which was definitely an appropriate choice for the hometown crowd.
Find a full gallery of photos from their performance
Courtney Barnett:
Courtney Barnett setlist:
1. Avant Gardener
2. City Looks Pretty
3. Small Talk
4. Need a Little Time
5. Nameless, Faceless
6. I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch
7. Small Poppies
8. Depreston
9. Everybody Here Hates You
10. Pedestrian at Best
The National:
The National setlist:
1. You Had Your Soul With You
2. Quiet Light
3. The Pull of You
4. Hey Rosey
5. Don’t Swallow the Cap
6. Guilty Party
7. Oblivions
8. I Am Easy to Find
9. Rylan
10. So Far, So Fast
11. I Need My Girl
12. This Is the Last Time
13. The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
14. Graceless
15. The Geese of Beverly Road
16. Where Is Her Head
Encore:
17. Not in Kansas
18. Fake Empire
19. Mr. November
20. Terrible Love
21. Light Years
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