It’s rare to see the ascension of a band from good to truly great. It’s the kind of process that happens behind closed doors, in studios and practice rooms and drug-fueled trips to India. So when the great leap forward comes, it’s often a surprise: Consider how shocking the arrival of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” or Radiohead’s “OK Computer” was, for instance.
The National, who played for a packed house at the Wiltern on Friday night, similarly announced its out-of-nowhere status as one of rock music’s most important bands with 2005’s “Alligator” ““ the band’s third full-length album, but first that mattered.
But as fans of the band will vouch for, that was only the beginning. Friday’s show was the second time I’ve seen the group in as many months and the fourth time since the release of “Alligator”; it was also the best.
The Brooklyn-based group has always been a moody, introverted lot, which translates well to its equal parts Springsteen, Tindersticks and Interpol-influenced sound, but not necessarily to live performance. But with bigger venues to play in and a second great album (this year’s “Boxer”) under its belt, the National have gone from a quintet of shrinking violets to a stage full of out-and-out rock stars.
The songs from “Boxer” crackled into life like fireworks, exploding across the speakers with guitar freak-outs and cathartic jams absent from their studio counterparts. “Start a War,” a mostly muted acoustic ballad, opened the set and demonstrated the group’s new ferocity as it reached a frantic instrumental bridge.
By the time the night was over, they’d played nearly all of “Boxer,” peppering the set with most of “Alligator’s” better tracks ““ the haunting “Daughters of the Soho Riots” and the visceral noise of “Lit Up,” “All the Wine” and the show-closing “Mr. November.”
Every song came as a revelation, with the crowd’s responsive enthusiasm reaching decibel levels almost as high as those of the band.
The show was opened by St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark ““ an Austin, Texas, musician who’s currently best known for playing with The Polyphonic Spree and touring in Sufjan Stevens’ band.
Judging by her performance, it won’t be long before she’s an indie luminary in her own right. To recreate the evocative textures of this year’s “Marry Me” ““ a stunning debut that blends Feist-like indie rock with jazz and blistering guitar solos ““ she manipulated an array of pedals and loops while singing and shredding away.
Early in her set, she thanked the National for taking her on tour. When the band reciprocated by inviting her back on stage for a song and to blow out a candle-laden cake, it was a fittingly symbolic moment: It may have been Clark’s birthday Friday, but the band is growing up, too. The celebration, however, was for everyone.
““ David Greenwald
E-mail Greenwald at dgreenwald@media.ucla.edu.