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The National Celebrate High Violet
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 17, 2010
Modified May 17, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published May 17, 2010
Modified May 17, 2010
Share
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It was a rousing week to be a fan of The National: their newest album, High Violet, was finally released on Tuesday, celebrated by a string of events hosted by the band at the High Violet Annex in lower Manhattan, as well as an appearance on David Letterman.
The week ended with a spectacular live performance on Saturday night at BAM, a charity event for the Red Hot organization. The triumphant 20-song set was filmed by legendary director DA Pennebaker (of Don't Look Back fame), and broadcast live on YouTube (you can see one such clip below).
The post-show celebration took place at the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank around the corner, which oddly had an atmosphere that made Brooklyn look more like Miami. Members of The National, Pennebaker, Sufjan Stevens, Ed Droste from Grizzly Bear, Zach Condon, Zach Quinto and actresses Julia Stiles, Mamie Gummer and Kate Walsh all mingled inside the (former) bank vault. The bearded, self-deprecating stars of the evening seemed bemused by the surroundings, but it was another signpost that The National are a seriously big band now.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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