The National Unearth Live Shows, Unseen Footage for YouTube Series

The National will dip into their vaults for a weekly YouTube Live series. The indie-rock band will unearth live shows and rare and unseen footage for “An Exciting Communal Event,” which streams every Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET.

The project will fuel the National’s road crew relief fund, highlighting platforms to donate during the events. The group recently launched an initiative donating all profits from their webstore and fan club enrollment to their 12 crew employees affected by tour date cancelations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (They also launched a GoFundMe for the crew, whom they described in a statement as “family” and “the lifeblood of our touring operation.”)

The video series follows the quintet’s recent YouTube premiere of The National – High Violet Live From Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The film was shot by filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus on May 19th, 2010, one night before the release date of their fifth album, High Violet.

The National recently announced a triple-LP edition of the album, marking its 10th anniversary. The package, out June 19th in a trio of color variations, features a full disc of tracks previously unavailable on vinyl, including “Wake Up Your Saints,” “Walk Off” and an alternate version of “Terrible Love.”

The band — who recently their latest record, I Am Easy to Find, in 2019 — will appear alongside Vampire Weekend, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jason Schwartzman, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Janeane Garofalo and Regina Spektor in an upcoming documentary about the influential New York City record store Other Music.