There was a time when a National concert was a pretty common occurrence here; the band once played three Milwaukee shows in as many years. These days they don't happen nearly as often. The Cincinnati-born indie-rock band hasn’t returned to Milwaukee since 2013, and a lot has happened in the five years since. Frontman Matt Berninger released an album and toured with his band El VY, while Aaron Dessner co-founded the Eaux Claires music festival in Eau Claire along with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. But after a long absence, the band will finally return to the city for a show at the Riverside Theater as part of a run of tour dates behind their eighth album, 2017’s excellent Sleep Well Beast.
The National will headline the venue on Monday, July 31 with opener Lucy Dacus. Tickets are $45.50 and go on sale Friday, May 11 at 10 a.m.
You can stream tracks from their latest album below, and revisit the Shepherd’s 2013 interview with Matt Berninger here.
