Two of indie rock music’s biggest success stories in the last decade are The National and The War On Drugs. The National, with its brooding dad rock sound that is sort of like The Hold Steady for people who prefer natural wine bars over dives, and The War On Drugs, with its breezy synth and guitar-driven sound that marries folk sensibilities with 80s flare, have each built up strong followings while maintaining artistic integrity. Neither band is currently promoting a new album – though The National released two albums in 2023 – but both acts have been on the road together, co-headlining some of their biggest venues to date. Fittingly, their tour is called the Zen Diagram, a play on Venn diagram that’s seemingly a nod to the cross-pollination of their fanbase and career trajectory. On Thursday, October 3rd, that tour made its way through Portland, Oregon for a show at the Moda Center. While the not-quite-full Moda Center raised the question of whether either act is truly at the arena level, their performances said otherwise.
There are perhaps few other current, non-nostalgia-act bands that possess as much of an arena-ready rock sound as The War On Drugs. From the moment the band shot out of a sonic cannon with the frenetic joy of “Baby Missiles,” they were immediately creating the kind of all-encompassing sound bath that infuses an audience with energy. While Adam Granduciel’s Dylan-meets-Springsteen vocals and soaring guitar solos propelled the music forward on songs like the airy “Pain” and the fast-paced “An Ocean in Between the Waves,” complete with Jon Natchez’s baritone saxophone providing a rich, meaty underbelly to the rhythm, it was clear throughout their set that this band is the sum of its parts rather than its frontman. Accompanied by a dazzling light show and an ever-present swirl of fog, “I Don’t Wanna Wait” with its atmospheric Phil Collins-esque drum machine was at once sensual and mournful as the band steered the song into 80s rock ballad glory.
Several songs into the set, Granduciel announced that tour manager Craig McQuiston was filling in on bass (“not only playing the right notes – he’s fucking shredding!”) while David Hartley tended to his home in Asheville. The band only continued the flow of energy, conjuring a storm of urgency and a blast of euphoric guitar on “Red Eyes,” leaning into Tunnel of Love-era Springsteen on the slow-burning and ethereal “Strangest Thing” that morphed into a sprawling jam vehicle for Granduciel’s guitar showmanship, and the trippy acoustic breakdown “Harmonia’s Dream” that made you wish you had ingested drugs. By the time they rounded the final stretch with the older, slightly folksy tune “Comin’ Through” and the massive beast that is “Under the Pressure” with its almost rave-like dance beat, The War On Drugs held a fine command over the entire arena. They invited Lucius to bring harmonies to fan favorite “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” stretching out once more. This final song allowed the fans to surf a wave of sonic pleasure and left many how any band could follow up such an incredible set.
Anyone finding themselves in the middle of The War On Drugs and The National’s “Zen” diagram was surely thrilled when The National opened with somewhat of a rarity, “Start a War,” a gradually building beauty that was perhaps a nod to their co-headliner. Dapper and classy as always, Matt Berninger dominated the stage throughout the set with his dry baritone while the band layered in textures. Compared to the stoic guitar god presence of Granduciel, Berninger reveled in the intensity of performance as he preached with a melancholic rage on “Eucalyptus.” Aaron and Bryce Dessner shared the spotlight as well, tapping into a New Wave guitar sound on the uptempo “Tropic Morning New” while Berninger paraded over amps and lights. The Dessner brothers would often provide sharp, clever guitar interplay throughout the night, punctuating the band’s dance beats. This was especially present on songs like “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” which hit with a psychedelic rainbow light show and shimmering bursts of dancey guitar chops. Older songs like the anthemic “Bloodbuzz Ohio” received huge reactions from the audience, while “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” was a standout moment with the dramatic piano flourishes being sliced apart by frenetic, unhinged guitar work.
At its best, the performance worked when the band provided a stealthy musical backdrop to complement the vocals and antics of Berninger. On “Conversation 16,” he plowed into the audience and reached a surprisingly far distance from the stage as he forced them to sing along, while the band introduced the dark folk-rock of “Green Gloves” as “the creepy song of the night” before inviting Granduciel to join them for a guitar-driven take on Echo & the Bunnymen’s “Bring On the Dancing Horses” that saw him slay the guitar part. As they careened towards the end of the set with older songs like “England,” “Graceless,” and “Fake Empire,” their momentum only continued to build. Whereas The War On Drugs brought a certain bigness that filled the Moda Center’s cavernous space, The National’s performance lent an intimacy. It was this contrast rather than the middle ground of the “Zen” diagram that made both acts such compelling co-headliners who both deserve be filling venues of this size.
