07 JUNE: PONTIAC, MI - THE CROFOOT BALLROOM // Tickets >>

:rawk

Just ordered tickets.

God, I love Ticketweb - I ordered my tickets Monday and got them yesterday.

Awesome, I bought some tickets. Now, I just need to hope that I can make it.

Less than a week now. Trying not to get too hyper.

Saturday, pretty exciting.

does anyone know who's opening?

The Crofoot is a really nice venue - the staff are friendly, nice bars, even the bathrooms were nice.
A band called Zoos of Berlin opened. They were inoffensive but hampered by bad sound (the venue, not them). When the bass is resonating your internal organs, it's a little too loud.
The National came onstage around 10:30. Matt said, "How's it going?" They all looked great, Matt in particular - he was clean shaven and looked very fit. They played Start A War, then Brainy, then Matt dedicated Secret Meeting to (if I heard correctly) some artists who designed a poster for the show. I didn't see the poster, so evidently they were all stolen before I got there. They did Baby, We'll Be Fine with a long rocking ending (similar to the live versions of About Today but less intense), then Slow Show, Squalor Victoria, Racing Like A Pro (with Padma absolutely shredding on violin at the end), and a stunning version of Abel. Next was Wasp Nest, after which Matt said, "That song was in a George Clooney movie. That's why we write songs, to get 'em in the movies." Ada featured some really lovely vocal harmonies. Everyone in the audience seemed to recognize Apartment Story. Matt dedicated Daughters of the Soho Riots to the Devendorf and Schuler families - "but not to Bryan and Scott." Afterward he introduced the horn players, Ben and Kyle: "We don't pay them any money, they do our laundry, it's awesome." Mistaken For Strangers featured a nice horn ending, as of course did Fake Empire. The band went offstage, then came back fairly quickly. Matt thanked someone named Phillip - "we've been in Detroit a lot of times in the last hundred years..." for his hospitality. Bryce apologized to someone who had bought them all shots and then wanted to hear Cardinal Song by saying that they had only played it once before they recorded it and none of them could remember it - he asked Matt what the first line was and Matt couldn't remember. Matt said, "It's too depressing, you'd all kill yourselves." They then played Green Gloves - Matt thanked Zoos of Berlin for opening - and All the Wine. Matt then said something like "what the hell" or "why not" and dedicated their last song "for Barack" - do I need to tell you what it was?
For those with merch lust, they had 2 new t-shirt designs (a black one with 50s style TV screens spelling out NATIONAL and a blue/grey one that had an owl whose face was a record split in two) and a new tote bag design, as well as all the CDs and the vinyl of Alligator and Boxer. I wanted everything but settled for one shirt, which was all I could afford.

Great show - nice venue. Rosemary described the event better than I could ever hope to.

Aw shucks.
I also meant to mention the music being played before the bands went on, a lot of which I really liked - 2 M. Ward songs (he's my favorite solo artist, whereas the National are my favorite band), "Hi-Fi" and "Poison Cup", "Girl from the North Country" by Dylan, a Clap Your Hands Say Yeah song, "I'm on Fire" by Springsteen, "Ocean of Noise" by Arcade Fire.
Overall I thought the sound at the venue was a little off - what did you think?

I thought the sound before the bands went on was pretty bad. It was still pretty bad for the opener but not horrible. I think they figured everything out for our headliners.

And I agree some nice music being played while we waited. Just before the National went on Bon Iver! Nice. I thought I heard some Curtis Mayfield as well.

Ah, that's who that was. I've heard one Bon Iver song and liked it, but haven't had a chance to check out the whole album.
Just checked my e-mail and there was a reminder from the Crofoot featuring the poster that led Matt to dedicate a song to the designers. It is pretty cool.

anywhere I can get that poster?

I didn't see them at the venue. Maybe if you contact the Crofoot they could hook you up.
If you want me to forward you the email with the jpeg of the poster, send me your email address (mine's villiers (at) gmail.com).