The old joke goes that you can’t throw a stone in Munster without hitting a rugby fan who would have you believe they were in Limerick when the province beat the All Blacks in 1978.
On Leeside, The National could well be about to create a similar myth, judging by the roars that greet frontman Matt Berninger when he asks if anyone was at their barely-attended previous outing in Cork.
“We lost a lot of money that night,” he jokes of their 2002 gig at Triskel Arts Centre.
The sell-out audience is treated to a 24-song set that draws heavily on recent LPs Trouble Will Find Me and High Violet, with the occasional foray into their back catalogue.
A muddy vocal mix means some of the audience interaction is lost on a crowd who can only parse part of what the band are saying between songs. Happily it doesn’t spoil the mood and both sides rise to the occasion.
This was the ninth year of Live At The Marquee. However, the festival could go another 99 and never capture a moment as special as The National’s finale. Dispensing with amps, and performed with just acoustic guitars and trumpets, closer ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’ sees ringmaster Berninger crowdsurf for a second time, whipping up a frenzy.
Thousands sang in unison. Thousands more well may claim they were there someday.