Two of indie rock’s most successful bands can certainly grab attention with the announcement of a co-headlining tour. But as it turns out, the result is as much a festival traveling from city to city as it is a chance to witness these groups in action.
The National and The War on Drugs shared news early this year of a joint mission — dubbed the Zen Diagram Tour — and the high-profile cooperation kicked off this month by filling large auditoriums in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Merriweather Post Pavilion was the third stop on the roadshow, and these two influential bands packed the expansive Columbia venue the night of Sept. 16 as ticketholders enjoyed almost five hours of music.
The National, born in Brooklyn just before the turn of the century, and The War on Drugs, formed in Philly in 2005, are both promoting new or recent material. The National released two albums in 2023: in the spring, the Billboard chart-topping First Two Pages of Frankenstein; in the fall, a “bonus” album, Laugh Track.
Listen to The National’s acclaimed 2023 studio album First Two Pages of Frankenstein via Spotify:
The War on Drugs is celebrating Live Drugs Again, the band’s second live offering, new this month and already receiving positive reviews.
Listen to the new live release from The War on Drugs, Live Drugs Again, via Spotify:
Together, these two forces enlisted Lucius — the harmonious pop outfit led by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig — to open the monumental shows. On Sept. 16, the Merriweather marquee entertained attendees and the performing artists with its married presentation: “National War on Lucius.”
Delivering three memorable sets, this early stop on the Zen Diagram Tour was a fruitful engagement, and Parklife DC was there to bask in it.
The National Setlist
Runaway
Eucalyptus
Tropic Morning News
I Should Live in Salt
Don’t Swallow the Cap
Bloodbuzz Ohio
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
I Need My Girl
Lemonworld
Conversation 16
Abel
Laugh Track
Humiliation
Murder Me Rachel
Rylan (with Lucius)
England
Graceless
Fake Empire
Encore
Light Years
Mr. November
Terrible Love
About Today
The War on Drugs Setlist
Baby Missiles
Pain
I Don’t Wanna Wait
Harmonia’s Dream
Red Eyes
Lost in the Dream
Comin’ Through
I Don’t Live Here Anymore (with Lucius)
Occasional Rain
Love Is a Long Road (Tom Petty cover)
Lucius Setlist
Nothing Ordinary
Tempest
Lucy
Dusty Trails
Old Tape (with Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs)
Genevieve
Below are home-rolled/developed/scanned 35mm motion picture film photographs of The National and The War on Drugs performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sept. 16, 2024. All images copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
The National
The War on Drugs
