No Lemonworld

Some bands have a limit.

I saw the Shins back in May 2009, so when they came through a couple of weeks ago, I opted out.

Once was enough.

Same with Passion Pit. Saw them June 2009 and I was satisfied.

The fact that they're doing two shows the next two nights at the National doesn't much interest me.

Ah, but the National are a different story.

Not the venue, the band.

I first saw them back in April 2007 opening for the Arcade Fire in D.C. and was immediately smitten.

Fast forward to 2008 and 2010 and I'd seen them here, too.

Even so, when tickets went on sale back in early March, I marched myself down to the National box office and got a ticket.

Tonight was the pay-off.

Openers People Get Ready were absent and in their place was Lanzendorf, a side project of one of the guys in the National.

Kind of electronic-based, very dancey and with a video of their name morphing into patterns, I had to fight to hear them over the incessant talking of the people around me.

Non-music lovers, that's what I figured.

They were there for the National, plain and simple, and nothing else mattered.

Meanwhile, a guy standing near me asked if I'd ever heard of the National (he hadn't).

Fourth time in six years, I told him to his amazement.

He was there with his brother-in-law from D.C. who'd seen them Thursday night at Merriweather Post Pavilion and driven down 95 to see them again two nights later.

He was a local who'd never been to the National (despite saying "I know one of the owners") although he said he hadn't been to a show since he'd had kids twenty years ago.

Shoot me now.

The novice asked me my favorite National songs and when he relayed them to the bro-in-law, the guy looked puzzled.

"Were those on older albums? I just got into this band two years ago."

Give me patience.

The show started with grainy footage of the band backstage in real time right up until they walked onstage.

With vested singer Matt prowling the stage like a caged lion, the band proceeded to showcase the new album "Trouble Will Find Me" interspersed with enough older songs to placate the masses.

Like "Anyone's Ghost."

You said it was night inside my heart. It was.
You said it should tear a kid apart. It does.

He mentioned having played here a couple of times before, cracking wise about how nice it was to see their name on the venue.

Specifically mentioning the hot tub available to musicians, he referenced a Snoop Dog hot tub story he'd told last time he was here.

"Conversation 16" became a crowd singalong.

I'll try to be more romantic
I want to believe in everything you believe

A fan yelled something and Matt got off talking about "Lost" until guitarist Bryce asked, "Are we going to keep talking about TV or play some notes?"

Promising us an older song, they launched into crowd anthem, "All the Wine."

I'm put together beautifully
Big wet bottle in my fist
Big wet rose in my teeth
I'm a perfect piece of ass

The only place to go after that was the ferocious "Abel," the song that follows it on the album.

My mind's not right
My mind's not right

They did a much slowed-down version of "Apartment Story before telling us about dinner.

Oh, we're so disarming, darling, everything we did believe
Is diving, diving, diving, dicing off the balcony

Guitarist Bryce said, "We ate at Rapphannock and had quite possibly the best food we've ever had on tour."

High praise for a band that's toured the world.

Singer Matt shared that he and his wife had eaten at Heritage and asked the crowd if anyone was from there (they weren't).

"They're both great restaurants," Bryce placated.

"Fuck your restaurant!" Matt countered before starting the heartbreaking live favorite "About Today."

Tonight you just close your eyes
And I just watch you slip away

He introduced the two horn players, one of whom had opened, saying, "Without them, we wouldn't sound all that good."

Not true, but their contribution is immeasurable.

They closed the show with another crowd favorite, "Fake Empire."

Turn the light out, say goodnight
No thinking for a little while
Let's not try to figure out everything at once

It was prolonged applause that brought them back for an encore, with Matt saying, "The hot tub isn't the only reason to come back here."

Naturally, people began calling out requests and the guy right behind me called out for "Karen," a song I would have also loved to have heard.

Instead we got "Mr. November" with Matt running through the crowd as far back as the  bar where I'd gotten my Cazadores when I'd come in.

His mic chord stretched over the heads of the audience as he sang from the back corner.

Last time they'd played here, he'd done the same but perched on the sound booth a few feet from where I was standing.

Tonight I had to settle for being slightly farther away.

After "Terrible Love," they finished out the night with an un-amplified take on "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" with two acoustic guitars, horns and tambourine.

All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love

The first time I saw the National, they were the opening band.

The second time, they were playing during an off night opening for R.E.M. and seemed very staid.

By the third time, Matt had a big, wet bottle of red wine in his fist and things were much looser all around.

Tonight's show seemed to fall somewhere in between the second and third, not quite so alcohol-influenced but not so tightly controlled, either.

Long since smitten with Matt's baritone and their melancholy lyrics, I was in hog heaven the entire night listening to the band for the fourth time on the fourth night of their tour.

They're so disarming, darling, I'm not sure I have a National limit.