The National at Forest Hills Stadium
The National at Forest Hills Stadium in October (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

The National throwing their own 'Homecoming' festival in Cincinnati

The National at Forest Hills Stadium
The National at Forest Hills Stadium in October (more by Toby Tenenbaum)

The National lived in Brooklyn for years, and now members are scattered around the country, but the band’s roots go back to Cincinnati and that’s where they’ll throw their inaugural Homecoming in Association with MusicNOW festival in 2018. It goes down April 28 & 29 in Smale Park, with The National performing “completely different” sets each night. The band is curating a lineup that will feature over 20 artists across two stages, and “the festival will also feature special guests, city-wide exhibitions, surprises and more starting the evening of Friday, Dec. 27.” Tickets go on sale Friday (12/15) at 10 AM Eastern at NTLhomecoming.com.

“As a rock band, we play with other rock bands. But we also do projects with visual artists. We all grew up [in Cincinnati], it is very much deep in our DNA,” Bryce Dessner told Billboard. “It’s a beautiful city with a lot of culture. It’s changing a lot — and we [want] to be a part of that.” Stay tuned for more info on the festival.

The National have a handful of other 2018 dates coming up and even more TBA. Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner are performing at The Ally Coalition’s “Talent Show” at NYC’s Town Hall (1/24), which also includes Lorde, Britt Daniel and Alex Fischel of Spoon, Bleachers, Kacey Musgraves, Shamir and more (tickets). All dates are listed below.

Lastly, the band released a video for the title track of this year’s excellent Sleep Well Beast. It was directed by Casey Reas and Graham MacIndoe, and you can watch it below.

The National — 2018 Tour Dates
JAN 19 2018 THE FORUM LOS ANGELES, CA
JAN 20 2018 THE JOINT LAS VEGAS, NV
JAN 23 2018 PEPSI CENTER MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
JAN 24 2018 TOWN HALL NEW YORK, NY
FEB 21 2018 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE FORECOURT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
FEB 22 2018 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE FORECOURT SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
FEB 25 2018 VILLA MARIA WINERY AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
FEB 27 2018 RIVERSTAGE BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
MAR 01 2018 SIDNEY MYER MUSIC BOWL MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
MAR 16 2018 LOLLAPALOOZA CHILE SANTIAGO, CHILE
MAR 18 2018 LOLLAPALOOZA ARGENTINA BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
MAR 22 2018 CIRCO VOADOR RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL w/ Spoon
MAR 24 2018 LOLLAPALOOZA BRAZIL SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL
MAR 25 2018 FESTIVAL ESTEREO PICNIC BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA
APR 28-29 2018 HOMECOMING FESTIVAL CINCINNATI, OH
JUN 02 2018 ALL POINTS EAST LONDON, UK
JUN 07-09 2018 NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL AARHUS, DENMARK
JUN 09 2018 BEST KEPT SECRET FESTIVAL HILVARENBEEK, THE NETHERLANDS
JUN 10 2018 SIDEWAYS FESTIVAL HELSINKI, FINLAND
JUN 15 2018 DONNYBROOK STADIUM DUBLIN, IRELAND
JUN 16 2018 DONNYBROOK STADIUM DUBLIN, IRELAND
JUL 13 2018 NOS ALIVE LISBON, PORTUGAL