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09/14 The National with Indigo Sparke at Surly Brewing Festival Field
National Setlist
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It was a fine late-summer evening at Surly Brewing Festival Field, an outdoor venue in the middle of an industrial park in northeast Minneapolis. Parking was at a demolition processing center. To the north of the field were hundreds of shipping containers stacked like cord wood. Perhaps it was the perfect setting for a band from Ohio with a workman like name.
Indigo Sparke opened up with the sun still lingering. She brought along Adam on guitar and Jeremy on drums for an eight-song set, which featured songs from her 2021 album Echo and upcoming Hysteria, which has a release date of October 7th, 2022.
From Sydney, Australia, Sparke stated she felt a special connection to Minneapolis for she had once lived in the city for a year.
Sparke’s parents are musicians and they bestowed a musical name on their daughter with Duke Ellington’s masterpiece “Mood Indigo.” It’s an apt name for although her sound and lyrics can be sparse, she hovers in a world more complex.
Sparke has a nice voice, a soothing one, the kind of voice you want to hear on the radio when you are driving on a warm summer’s night with the windows rolled down.
The National’s Aaron Dessner joined Sparke for a couple of songs from her new album which he produced. He played his guitar with a far-off, self-contained howl before opening up on “Golden Ribbons.”
The National then took the stage for a nineteen song set from eight albums spanning over a twenty-year career. We Heart Music last saw them headlining the Rock the Garden festival at the Walker Art Center in June of 2019.
“It’s good to see you,” said lead singer, Matt Berninger, to the crowd. “It’s been a while.”
There was a familiarity in the greeting, like old friends meeting after too much time had passed.
For being known for bleak lyrics and anthem-like themes, Berninger and his band mates were in a playful mood, bantering with each other between songs. When Berninger said the next song was “Ice Machines,” Aaron Dessner corrected him with a “No it’s not.”
Berninger had accidentally leapt ahead and had to be reminded that “Slow Show” was next. So Berninger decided the song should now be called “Ice Machines” to the consternation to Dessner. And that would only be the beginning as he jokingly introduced “Mr. November” as “Mr. February” and called their latest release “Weird Goodbyes” as “Fake Empire.” He also spent quite a bit of time surfing through the crowd, which allowed a stage hand to take his place front and center looking much like a fisherman trying to reel in a wayward singer with a mic cord.
The highlight of the evening was when Berninger took a break from the introspective often contradictory lyrics (I'm feelin' sacred, my soul is stripped) and let Aaron and Bryce Dessner take the lead on guitar, keyboard or upright piano. Aaron and Bryce even shared solos in tandem on “Wasp Nest” and “Tropic Morning News.” It was a musical treat to see two lead guitars talking to each other through an exchange of notes. It was far too brief, but the band had more mislabeled songs to cover.
Remaining tour dates:
Sept. 17: Maryland Heights, MO - Saint Louis Music Park
Sept. 18: Indianapolis, IN - TCU Amphitheater
Sept. 19: Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts
Sept. 22: Boston, MA - Roadrunner
Sept. 24: Harrisburg, PA - Harrisburg University
Sept. 25: Bridgeport, CT - Sound on Sound Festival
Indigo Sparke |
Indigo Sparke |
Indigo Sparke |
The National |
The National |
The National |
The National at Surly Brewing Festival Field, Minneapolis (14 Sep 2022) |
| dave ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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