Best Shows of 2013: The National at the PNE Amphitheatre, September 22

Photo credit: Kirk Chantraine

This was the National show I should have seen when they played the Orpheum a couple of years ago: front, nearly centre, nearly getting kicked in the face by a crowd-surfing Matt Berninger, bracing his legs while he stood on the guard rail. And the PNE's sound system wasn't as bad as I'd always heard it was. Seeing the National play some of my favourite songs ever was worth all the rain (it was an outdoor show) and my infuriating trek to the PNE; I was in such a bad mood due to the often incompetent transit system (and annoying fans) that I considered selling my ticket while I was in line.