I attended my first ever The National concert on Wednesday, and it did not disappoint. It was as dark of a set as I had imagined, but that didn’t bring down the energy the diverse crowd. The audience ranged from young hipsters to middle-aged alternative rock aficionados, who were all there to revel in The National’s angsty, yet stylish sound of American indie rock. The National has been around for twenty years and hold ten studio albums worth of music, offering a diverse setlist and a complex interplay of sounds.

Matthew Berninger quickly, but gracefully shifts from soulful melodies, to yelling and gesturing as though he feels the pain of the words that he’s belting into the mic. He remained intimate with the audience throughout the entire emotional set, often coming as close to them as he could from the stage, grazing the hands of fans. After a two-hour-long set composed of twenty-four songs, The National had won the crowd over with their emotional music.

I was introduced to Courtney Barnett a few years ago when I was gifted the record, “Lotta Sea Lice,” a collaborative studio album between by Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett. Experiencing Courtney Barnett live took my appreciation for her and her music to a whole other level. The Australian rockstar blew away the crowd with her head-banging performance, and she was so much fun to photograph, always flashing different facial expressions to the crowd.

If you have the chance to see either of these incredible bands, don’t turn it down!