The National Live in Amsterdam — Sleep Well Beast Tour

25 October 2017 · Amsterdam

The National mid-set at an indoor Amsterdam venue, the guitarist planted at centre stage under a wash of purple and white light. Behind him, the full band stretches across a wide stage — bass on the riser to the left, keys and electronics to the right, a drum kit anchored in the middle. A large LED screen fills the back wall with projected imagery, its high-contrast visuals pushing against the purple sweep of the stage rigs. The silhouetted crowd fills the frame below, heads close together, all attention forward. The production earns its scale; the band earns the production.