Do we really have to go back to work tomorrow?
The 2018 edition of the Mo Pop Festival wrapped up in style Sunday night, with a back-to-back-to-back lineup of Portugal. The Man, St. Vincent and The National bringing the event to a close.
Personally, my day began with a National vibe, as the first thing I witnessed was Scott Devendorf, bassist for The National, spinning records from the back of the Third Man Records Rolling Record Store. A set heavy on Talking Heads seemed to be a crowd pleaser.
From there, I went to one of my favorite places on earth — the Shredderz food truck. Minutes later, I was feeling the type of euphoria that can only be brought about by a chorizo burrito with the crispiest hash browns known to man and a sweet and spicy sauce that is second to none.
Stomachs full and booze in hand, we made our way over to see Portugal. The Man, but not before running into a man wearing a classic @Trillballins “Smockin'” T-shirt. That was a highlight. I’m a TrillBallins premium content pass holder, so I had to mention how much I enjoyed this part of the event.
Then, I ran around like a jackass for a few minutes while attempting to inflate one of those inflatable couch things. All those people batting one of those around during Vince Staples on Saturday inspired me to bring mine, and it was a great move. We relaxed in style while listening to Portugal. The Man rip through a bunch of their hits, as well as riffs from several cover songs. They started things off with Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and also touched on “Another Brick in the Wall” from Pink Floyd, “Children of the Revolution” by T. Rex and “Kilo” from Ghostface Killah, among others. The crowd was happy as they ended the set with “Feel It Still,” and then, the mad rush over to St. Vincent started.
I love St. Vincent as much as the next guy, but The National is my favorite band, so I went in the opposite direction to reserve a prime spot. We still saw St. Vincent grace the stage with a bright orange guitar and a matching outfit. She sounded fantastic, but soon, the growing crowd at the opposite stage began to drown out her show.
Finally, at 10:05 p.m., The National came out to close out the weekend. Lead singer Matt Berninger immediately commented on the riverside setting. The cool river air “smells like Cincinnati, except less racist,” he joked. “That was too much, too soon.”
The scene was somewhat similar to The National’s Homecoming festival that took place in that city in April, with a river and a bridge providing a beautiful backdrop.
Later, Berninger spoke about the U.S. Postal Service building that runs opposite the river along the festival grounds.
“What’s that building called? Is that the castle? … Is that the jail?”
Bryce Dessner suffered an amp issue, but the band persevered through it all in a set that focused heavily on the latest album. Berninger discussed why dancers in Riverdance don’t use their arms (“It’s too dirty”), There was a bit of friendly banter as “Bloodbuzz Ohio” was dedicated to all the people from Ohio, resulting in a mix of enthusiastic cheers and disappointed jeers. Toward the end of the set, the band played “Light Years,” a new song that debuted in April during the Homecoming festival. “If anybody needs to use the bathroom, now is the time,” Berninger said when introducing the new song.
For the majority of the set, the band seemed appreciative of the location and powered through song after song. “This is a good spot,” Berninger said at one point, before referencing his earlier comment about the post office. “I’ve spent a lot of time next to rivers and jails. I had family members in both.”
But then, “About Today” happened. Berninger seemed to begin singing at the wrong time and then threw the microphone into the crowd before walking off the stage, leaving the band to improvise for a minute before wrapping things up. The guy who caught the mic tweeted the band: “On any other song I’d have known where to keep singing with lyrics. But About Today is a slow build.”
It was an odd way to end an otherwise enjoyable set by one of the best bands in the world. And even though it was 11:30 p.m. on a Sunday, several people made their way to the Haute to Death dance tent to live the weekend up just a little bit more.
The National Mo Pop setlist
Nobody Else Will Be There
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
Don’t Swallow The Cap
Walk It Back
Guilty Party
Bloodbuzz Ohio
I Need My Girl
Slow Show
Day I Die
Carin at the Liquor Store
Graceless
Rylan (Berninger, after the song: “That’s the definitive version. Tell the internet we’re done.”)
Fake Empire (Berninger: “This is not apropos of anything. It’s just a — nevermind, I don’t even feel like fucking talking about it.”)
Mr. November
Light Years
Terrible Love
About Today (abbreviated)
Photo credit: Chris Laine
