New York Magazine threw a 40th anniversary bash at Hammerstein Ballroom. I was there. Comedy group Stella emceed, followed by musical acts Grizzly Bear and The National.

Stella

Grizzly Bear

The National

I’ve never been a fan of Michael Ian Black or Michael Showalter and didn’t even know who David Wain was prior to writing the preview for the show last week but, as they have all achieved some amount of fame as comedians, I assumed that they were funny. Wrong. Maybe they’re funny as singular entities, but as a group, not so much.

Michael Showalter

David Wain

I would talk more about Grizzy Bear, but to tell the truth, I missed most of their set. Here is why: the entire event was painfully disorganized and I spent most of the set arguing with producers (one of whom I told not-so-politely to shove off) and security guards in an attempt to Do My Job. Doing so was apparently a security risk, as the pit was only accessible via the stage. Yes, I literally had to jump into it from the stage. Getting out of it was the same deal. Who knows what the genius behind setting the whole thing up was smoking, but I hope it was something good.

It took quite some time, but eventually, we photographers covering the party got together to Take Care of Business. We were tired of trying to get our shots from the crowd and annoying people who paid to see the show. Once we got our credentials changed from Press to All Access, it was all downhill from there.

The National was amazing. On-point for the entirety of the set, the guys covered their entire catalog pretty evenly. Matt Berninger is a master of intensity. He broke some shit at the end of the set and the crowd (myself included) ate it up. He also mentioned that this would be the last New York show for some time, a statement received with boos, but saved the moment with the announcement that the band would be spending time in the studio working on a new album post-tour.

Photos by Dese’Rae Stage. More from the show at flickr.

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