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The National: Gibbering adoration of their RFH 10/8/09 gig
I didn't want to sound like an elitist "They'll never be as good as they were when I first saw them at the Barfly in 2004" snob - they finally bettered it tonight.
An absolute event of a show, something that felt like the culmination of all their post-Alligator momentum, with three superb new songs. Vanderlylle Cry Baby in particular feels like their big crossover song, odd title apart.
Setlist:
1) Run Away (New song)
2) Start A War
3) Mistaken For Strangers
4) Brainy
5) Secret Meeting
6) Slow Show
7) Vanderlylle Cry Baby (New song)
8) Abel
9) All The Wine
10) Racing Like A Pro
11) Ada
12) Apartment Story
13) Available
14) Fake Empire
Encore: 15) Green Gloves
16) (Untitled new song, possibly called Swarm Of Bees)
17) Mr November
18) About Today
Too many highlights to list and I'm meant to be writing a coherent five-star News Of The World review without gibbering. Only shame was it was "only" 105 minutes rather than the 130 it said on the setlist. Doesn't matter a damn, with something that special.