Article Contributed by Philip Andrews
Published on 2026-10-17
Trampled By Turtles + The Last Revel | The National | Richmond, VA | October 15th, 2026 - photos by Philip Andrews
You know you are in for a good time at a Trampled by Turtles show. That thought was rattling around in my head as I walked into The National on Thursday, October 15, and by the end of the night the Duluth six-piece had proven it all over again. This was the band’s last stop in Virginia on their fall run, and Richmond made sure to send them off right.
Before the headliners took the stage, fellow Minnesotans The Last Revel warmed up the room. I came in knowing very little about them and left a fan. Lead singer Lee Henke pulls double duty, strumming an acoustic guitar while working a bass drum with his foot, and somehow makes it look easy. That kick drum gives the band a backbone you don’t always get from a string group, and it turns their songs into something you can really move to.
The band has been gigging since 2011, and it shows. Their take on Americana feels fresh, pulling from folk and old-time string band traditions without ever sounding like a museum piece. They played fast, they played tight, and they had the crowd moving and grooving well before most openers would. If they come through your town, go see them. This is definitely a group to watch out for.
After such a fast and fun opening set, Trampled by Turtles took a different approach and started things on a slower note with “Quitting Is Rough.” It was a smart choice. Rather than trying to top the energy The Last Revel had just built, they gave everyone a chance to settle in, catch their breath, and ease into the set.
The first half of the show featured a fair amount of newer material, which was a treat for anyone who has been following the band closely. The new songs sat comfortably next to the older ones and showed a band still writing with purpose more than twenty years in.
Then came “Codeine,” and everything shifted into high gear. If you have never been to The National, here is something you should know: when the crowd gets moving in that room, you can feel it in the wood floors. The whole place starts to bounce, and the energy travels right up through your feet. From that point on, it never really let up.
One of my favorite moments of the night was a stunning cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe (In the Air).” Hearing that song reworked for strings was something special, and a reminder of how well this band can reshape a song while keeping its soul intact.
The second half of the night featured a number of covers, and the band clearly had fun with them. To close out the evening, they brought The Last Revel back out for The Band’s “The Weight.” Two Minnesota bands sharing one of the great sing-along songs of all time, with the room singing right along, was about as good an ending as you could ask for.
Sometimes you forget how full a band can sound with just a handful of acoustic instruments. There are no drums in Trampled by Turtles and no electric guitars, but at full speed they hit as hard as any rock band I have seen at The National. A lot of that comes down to the individual players.
I have never seen anyone play the cello like Eamonn McLain does. Most cellists sit still and keep their instrument planted. McLain jumps around with it like he is fronting a punk band, and he never loses the groove. Ryan Young plays the fiddle with such ferocity that it is a wonder he doesn’t break more bows. On the fast numbers his bow arm is basically a blur. And Erik Berry, holding down the mandolin, has the hair of the gods. I am not sure what else there is to say about that. Some things just need to be seen.
Trampled by Turtles have been at this a long time, and nights like this one show why they still pack rooms across the country. They know how to build a set, they know how to read a crowd, and they still play like they have something to prove. I walked out onto Broad Street with a big grin, already wondering when they will be back. Like I said at the top, you know you are in for a good time at a Trampled by Turtles show.
