I had the same conversation five times on the Saturday of Pitchfork. It usually went something like this, but with a few different people:

Me: “You excited for the National?”
Them: “Yeah, I really like them.”
Me: “Me too.”
Both: “…But how on earth are they the headliner?”

The National are a way cool band with a couple great albums under their belt… but didn’t really seem to be likely candidates to headline the middle day of the festival. I mean, I’d figure Grizzly Bear’s top 10 debut would make them a bigger draw than the National. And after having this same chat with a handful of fellow festival-goers, I realized I wasn’t alone in that idea.

However, the thing we all failed to take into account was that the National are a pretty sweet live act.

The National have a stage presence that is far beyond any other band of their size. Matt Berninger has one of the best voices of any indie rock singer out there today. And, much as is the case with Echo and the Bunnymen, he doesn’t really have to be very active to have complete command of the stage. Add to that Aaron and Bryce Dessner and you’ve got yourself a band that’s covertly, but completely, ready to be a headliner.

More photos after the break.