The National InstagramIn April of 2018, Cincinnati-spawned Indie Rock group The National returned to their hometown to host the two-day Homecoming music festival, which featured a slew of acclaimed acts at the riverfront’s Smale Park.
Toward the end of 2018, the group announced that Homecoming could happen again in Cincinnati, just not in 2019.
In a statement last November, the band said the fest was “taking a break in 2019,” but that organizers “look forward to doing it again in the future.”
A recent post on Instagram now has National fans speculating that Homecoming could be in the cards for 2020. The U.K.’s NME and other music websites have helped fuel the speculation.
The post includes the lyrics “I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees” from “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” a track from the band’s 2010 album High Violet. With the purple hue of the photo, fans on Reddit and elsewhere have suggested that perhaps the band would perform the album in full at Homecoming 2020, in honor of the LP’s 10th anniversary.
At the first Homecoming, the band played headlining sets to close out each night; on the second night, they performed 2007’s Boxer in full.
If Homecoming Part 2 happens, given touring and other obligations, it could go down once again in the springtime. After a run of shows through the end of this year, the band picks up global tour dates in March 2020, then Aaron Dessner’s Big 37d03d Machine is touring with Bon Iver in the second half of April. Singer Matt Berninger also announced his debut solo album last month (no release date or tour dates have been given yet).
Stay tuned.
