In retrospect: The National’s Homecoming Festival in Cincinnati

Two UK culture and music writers hopped a 15-hour flight to attend The Homecoming Festival in Riverfront Smale Park in April. Whether you were fortunate to attend one day, the entire weekend or not at all, reading Christopher and David’s heartfelt travelogue will ratchet up your Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky pride a notch or two. Part personal essay-part concert review, their potion of band worship and small city/hometown discovery drills down to finding our region’s “welcoming nature.”

Hooten and Rapson contend “Maybe it’s this feeling of unanimity and connectedness inherent to The National that compelled them to stage their own festival for their fans, to invite them to their home.” Guitarist Aaron Dessner tells [Christopher and David] a day earlier in the back of the band’s tour bus “there’s a centre of gravity here that makes you feel comfortable.”

I think this counts a little more than we think: The National come home to Cincinnati is a wonderful read and worthy celebration of good music and hometowns everywhere.

To read the Independent UK feature from Christopher Hooton and David Rapson, click here. 

Christopher is The Independent’s Culture Editor and can be found tweeting at @christophhooton. David is his long-time friend and co-director and posts at @D_Rapson.