Conor Oberst at the Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanual Presbyterian, Los Angeles, 12/9/16 and 12/10/16
Matt Berninger is a great songwriter , but it took me a long time to figure that out. The first things I notice about The National songs are the weird interplay between the musical rhythms and the lyrical rhythms, and the repetitive lines. Now that I've looked closer, I often like what he does with his words. Berninger wrote the lyrics to The National's "England" in part about this weird music venue in Koreatown, LA. It's literally a Catholic church, a cathedral, that they rent out for shows. If you know me very well at all, you probably know that religion isn't my thing. Cathedrals, though, with their vaulted ceilings, attention to detail, feelings of immensity, and glorious acoustics? I loved touring old cathedrals and basilicas during my time in Europe. I even went so far as to take a course in college called Medieval Church Architecture between the 4th and 12th Centuries. Believe me when I tell you that contemporary alt folk performed in a cathedral is mo...