National has long stood out for a striking contrast in live settings: a frontman who carries a quiet, almost sculpted baritone and a performer’s air that resembles a bohemian writer rather than a rock icon, paired with a richly textured instrumental backdrop that can swell into something vast and epic. At Primavera Sound, those opposing forces sometimes blurred into a broader tension on stage. The audience watched as Matt Berninger navigated a momentary mismatch between voice, posture, and the band’s collective energy, unsure whether he was temporarily drained, wrestling with the lingering effects of the night, or simply facing the demanding passage of age that alters how a singer anchors a chorus. In those moments, the singer’s search for the best personal interpretation of the material felt almost tactile, as if the band was recalibrating in real time to match the intensity surrounding them. The result was a performance that felt candid and human even when it drifted away from the studio precision fans might expect, turning a headline slot into a study in performance variables under bright festival lights.
The set list suggested a wish to balance the band’s newer material with the anchor points that defined their most celebrated work. There were signs of an invitation to revisit Easy to Find era textures, including a piano-focused excerpt that hinted at Light Years, a track still etched in memory for its intimate piano context. Berninger’s evolution as a vocalist showed through the way he approached long-connected numbers from earlier records, while the band maintained the subtle post-punk pulse that has driven much of their sound. The performance acknowledged the arc from the quieter, almost nocturnal mood of tracks like Boxer through to the more expansive, anthemic statements that marked High Violet, weaving in older favorites with the immediacy of a live crowd. Classic moments such as the ceremonial resonance of certain choruses were tempered by the drummer’s relentless rhythmic push, a constant reminder of how Bryan Devendorf anchors the band’s dynamic. Certain selections—like those that rise from subdued verses to a forceful, driving chorus—illustrated how difficult it can be to achieve a perfect alignment between mood, tempo, and vocal emphasis during a live set. Even so, the evening remained focused on transforming grief, nostalgia, and reflection into a resonance that listeners could carry with them, a reminder that the act of turning loss into grace is an enduring strength of the group.