The National – Rome – CD

Rome is the definitive live document of The National. Recorded live (without overdubs) on June 3, 2024 at the architecturally stunning venue Parco Della Musica Ennio Morricone, named for the famed Italian film composer, the 21-track LP showcases scintillating versions of beloved songs like “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” “I Need My Girl,” “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,” “England” and “Fake Empire”; plus sharpened readings of recent tracks “Eucalyptus,” “New Order T-Shirt,” “Tropic Morning News” and the boundary pushing “Smoke Detector.”

The double album, mixed by longtime collaborator Peter Katis, spans the band’s 20-plus years of songwriting and reveals how each song has taken on a new life in its live performance. “You have to see this band live” is often said about The National, and now, Rome is the next best thing to actually being there.

Reflecting how the band changes setlists significantly from night to night to cast fresh light on hidden gems from the catalog, Rome is marked by rarities such as show opener “Runaway,” “Lemonworld,” “The Geese of Beverly Road,” “Lit Up” and a tour de force pairing of “Humiliation” from the critically acclaimed album Trouble Will Find Me into Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers’ “Murder Me Rachael.”

The Rome encore features the election anthem “Mr. November,” and, from High Violet, “Terrible Love” and the show-closing fan singalong, “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.”

Disc: 1
1 Runaway
2 Eucalyptus
3 Tropic Morning News
4 New Order T-shirt
5 Don’t Swallow the Cap
6 Bloodbuzz Ohio
7 The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
8 I Need My Girl
9 Lemonworld
10 The Geese of Beverly Road
11 Lit Up

Disc: 2
1 Alien
2 Humiliation
3 Murder Me Rachael
4 England
5 Graceless
6 Fake Empire
7 Smoke Detector
8 Mr. November
9 Terrible Love
10 Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks