The National - Rome (Full Concert) (2025) Hi-Res

This live album was recorded without overdubs at the historic Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome, Italy, in June 2024. From popular hits to hidden gems, the album traces the band's history over more than 20 years.

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.”

When you perform in a venue named after Ennio Morricone (Rome’s “Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone”), you’d better come to play with emotion. Luckily, The National are known for their feverish, deeply melancholic music, a bit like the work of Tennessee Williams, one of the group’s heroes. This famous playwright also happens to be the subject of the frenetic track “Don’t Swallow the Cap”— a nod to Williams’ tragic death in 1983 after choking on the cap of a nasal spray. The Brooklyn-based quintet couldn’t leave out “Fake Empire,” either, which talks about the disenchantment of an entire generation. Just like the studio version, the track starts with piano chords, and ends with a minimalistic fanfare set to a particularly sophisticated rhythm. Other highlights of this guitar-centric live album include “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (a sample from 2010’s High Violet) and, of course, “I Need My Girl,” released in 2013. This concert, recorded on June 3, 2024, marked the end of two years of touring for the group. By choosing to capture the end of such a long journey, The National crank up the emotion to an even higher level, making it an unforgettable experience.