The National Covers Queen’s ‘I Want To Break Free’ In London

The National continued their run of shows at London’s Eventim Apollo with a fourth and final performance at the venue Thursday night. The evening’s encore kicked off with the band performing a cover of a classic song originally recorded by Queen.

“Nobody Else Will Be There,” the opening track from the band’s just-released studio album Sleep Well Beast, also opened Thursday’s concert. The main set saw frontman Matt Berninger leading the group through an additional nine tracks from the new record, including “Day I Die,” “Guilty Party,” “I’ll Still Destroy You” and the title track. A mid-set bust out of “Secret Meeting” from 2005’s Alligator was played for the first time since 2014.

Introduced as a song “written by some dudes from the area,” Berninger led the group through an encore-opening cover of “I Want To Break Free” by the British rockers Queen. The National capped the night with renditions of “Mr. November” and “Terrible Love,” as well as the tour’s first “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.”

Watch audience-shot footage captured by Jeff Galasso of “Secret Meeting” and Berninger channeling Freddie Mercury below:

[I Want To Break Free]

[Secret Meeting]