In a time when many bands are better known for the physical appearances of their artists rather than their music, The National is a band apart.

At its show a week ago at the Ogden Theater, the motley members of The National may have looked like average Joes, but they offered incredible music.

The packed house of PBR-guzzling 20-and-30-somethings waited expectantly for The National’s stripped down, raw performance. What fans weren’t expecting was a little lady called St. Vincent.

Opening act, songstress Annie Clark, known as St. Vincent, clearly confused a majority of the crowd with her eccentric style. Manning multiple synthesizers, a drum and a guitar, Clark haphazardly careened from angelic choruses to ear-splitting guitar squealing with very little grace. Some numbers received reverberating applause, while others were just plain hard to listen to. Thus, after a collective sigh of relief, fans readied themselves for The National.

The band formed in Brooklyn in 1999 after a group of five high school friends from Cincinnati were reunited in the shadow of the New York City skyline. Eight years and five albums later, The National is selling out venues worldwide with their newest release Boxer.

The humble stage set up, a wall of gold tinsel, demonstrated the band’s desire to be heard rather than seen.

From the first distinctive bars of “Start a War,” the crowd was instantly mesmerized. Matt Berninger’s distinctive signature baritone vocals captivated fans in spite of his awkward stage presence.

The recent addition of Padma Newsome to the tour on the violin also brought a rich new depth to the performance. During the complex track “Squalor Victorious,” Newsome launched into an elaborate solo that nearly brought the house down. At the end of the last song, “Fake Empire,” the crowd erupted in a deafening storm of applause and screams. After a lengthy delay, the band returned to perform three more songs before taking its final bows. Ten more minutes of rampant applause followed before concertgoers finally filed out into the night.

The National proves that there are still bands that just want to create genuinely good music and play entertaining shows, and that rocks.