The National + The War on Drugs played Forest Hills Stadium

The Zen Diagram Tour featuring The National, The War on Drugs, and an opening set from Lucius kicked-off this week and came to Forest Hills Stadium on a perfect late-summer evening.

Sometimes (ok probably often) a concert line-up comes around that seems perfectly matched to my demographic. As a white male in my mid-30s who currently resides in North Brooklyn, the combo of The National and the War on Drugs felt particularly aligned for my interests. Add in a great setting on a splendid Friday evening in mid-September and the situation seemed unbeatable. 

It's been three years since the last studio album from Adam Granduciel's The War on Drugs, but Friday saw the release of the band's new live album Live Drugs Again (y'all, More Live Drugs was right there, but that's an argument for another time) and so there was a bit of celebration in the air. As the group took to the stage just as the sky was turning to a beautiful hue to of pink and orange, it felt like nature was doing tis job of providing some of the best lighting anyone could ask for and it occurred to me that The War on Drugs could be the ideal band to see at sunset, their triumphant songs basking in the glow of the sun while shimming synths melted into bombastic guitar lines helping paint the picture of their music as a divine, driving force of bonafide heartland rock. Opening with "An Ocean Between the Waves," the band hit their stride right from the start, their grandiose sound enveloping the entire stadium which was fuller and fuller after every song. Playing from mostly their most recent record I Don't Wanna Live Here Anymore and their breakout Lost in the Dream, it was a night full of their epic and sprawling tunes and the band really leaned into it, stretching out their solos and finding their grooves, really letting things just jam, man. The sparkle of the guitar was dazzling and the rich textures were padded by heavy synths that really helped everyone get lost in the moment. They cranked "Under the Pressure" for over ten minutes and really let it cook, getting deeper and deeper into the song's groove and churning it for all its worth. As it ragged on fans, would fall deeper into the mix and would shout out enthusiastic yeahs at various points of the song as everyone slowly fell under the band's spell. With Lucius serving as the openers for the tour, it's was pretty much a guarantee that they'd make the return to perform the backing vocals for "I Don't Live Here Anymore" and with the sun nearly down, it allowed the stage lights to come alive with divine intervention. Suddenly the stage seemed to be basked in a rainbow of light and it helped the song come to life in a somehow even more impressive fashion. Closing out the set with "Burning" was another sensational choice and gave the band their most high-powered moment of the night, the momentum of the song gaining speed and helping the band cruise off into the night with the utmost fashion. Suddenly it hit me that this was still just the beginning, however, and The National were still to come.

As the comedown from The War on Drugs began to subside, it was clear that the bar had already been set pretty high as the lights went down and people began to jazz themselves up for the next band of the night. Despite releasing two albums last year, The National aren't promoting anything new on this go around which means the set list is comprised of songs from across their catalogue and they're using the opportunity to play songs from albums that haven't gotten as much love over time as they've focused on adding new material to their shows. This was evident when they started the night with a bouncing "Don't Swallow the Cap" before knocking out some of the newest tracks of the night, "Eucalyptus" and "Tropic Morning News." Getting those out of the way early on meant that they had prime real estate to drop into some more nostalgic moments and they wasted no time as they turned into "Squalor Victoria" and Matt Berninger let it rip, his vocals immediately turning into euphoric screams as he belted out the title phrase with strong determination. Never standing still, he leaned into his duties as frontman and stalked the stage and danced with pure elation to his band's defiant tunes. The National are great at letting those introspective moments come alive and make you feel as if there are suddenly 15,000 people who also resonate to those deep and intimate feelings just like you and when everyone comes together to belt out the lyrics, the music changes from hardened sad rock into something that now feels celebratory and victorious. "Brainy" was a welcomed surprise that hasn't been a major player in their sets for quite some time and really pumped up the crowd. Every time the band plays New York, it always turns into a homecoming event and they seem to bring something extra special to the mix as both Dessner brothers pointed out. "We like to play this one in New York because it reminds us of when we lived here" one said before a lovely rendition of "The Geese of Beverly Road" and the magic of the night only seemed to intensify. "Abel" was another divine throwback that they dedicated to all of the siblings in attendance, again alluding to the familial affair of the evening, and people once again felt enlightened by the moment. Like The War on Drugs before them, they too brought out Lucius to help on backing vocals to "Rylan" and helped set the tone for the end of the night which really kicked things into hyperdrive. "England" was seismic and had Berninger moving on to near punk vocals as his screams leveled-up and he dove head first into the track, giving it his absolute all. Once the clunking piano riff of "Fake Empires" began to ring out, the night peaked and the stadium erupted in a joyous cheer. For the encore, they started off gently with "Light Years" before hitting us with a crushing "Mr. November." At one moment I looked over and a group of guys were going so hard I thought I was about to see perhaps the first ever mosh pit at a National concert as the energy skyrocketed beyond belief. Even after all of those special moments, nothing came close to the incendiary finish as the band led the crowd through a nearly all-acapella "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks." With soft acoustic guitar work and distant horns in the background, the band ditched electricity and let the music carry on its own as the crowd took over on vocal duties and sang the entirety of the song while Berninger conducted us with his elaborate motions from the stage. It was an incredible moment led by the power of music and a stunning finish to a splendid evening.

War on Drugs set list:

01 "An Ocean in Between the Waves"
02 "I Don't Wanna Wait"
03 "Pain"
04 "Harmonia's Dream"
05 "Red Eyes"
06 "Old Skin"
07 "Under the Pressure"
08 "I Don't Live Here Anymore" (with Lucius)
09 "Occasional Rain"
10 "Burning"

The National set list:

01 "Don't Swallow the Cap"
02 "Eucalyptus"
03 "Tropic Morning News"
04 "Squalor Victoria"
05 "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
06 "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness"
07 "I Need My Girl"
08 "Brainy"
09 "Conversation 16"
10 "The Geese of Beverly Road"
11 "Abel"
12 "Alien"
13 "Deep End (Paul's in Pieces)"
14 "Rylan" (with Lucius)
15 "England"
16 "Graceless"
17 "Fake Empire"
18 "About Today"
--
19 "Light Years"
20 "Mr. November"
21 "Terrible Love"
22 "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks"