The National played to a sold-out crowd of 3,000 last night (Oct. 11) at the newly minted Terminal 5, the first major venue to open in midtown Manhattan in more than a decade.

Terminal 5 boasts three levels and 70,000 square feet of space, but most notably the room is narrow, providing a much more intimate concert experience for the audience.

Similarly sized New York venues such as the Roseland and Hammerstein Ballrooms are often criticized for the distance between the audience and the stage, as well as poor sound. Terminal 5 is trying to combat those issues with two balconies that run right up to the side of the stage, allowing patrons a birds eye view of the artists.

"It's nice to play the first show here, because you're judging [the venue] more than us," National lead singer Matt Berninger joked. The band played an impressive 80-minute set, favoring material from its past two albums, "Alligator" and "Boxer." Opening act St. Vincent joined the National on vocals for the ballad "Green Gloves."

Terminal 5 is the second venue in a little over a month opened by New York-based promotion company Bowery Presents. Last month, the Music Hall of Williamsburg opened in Brooklyn with a performance by Patti Smith. Terminal 5's fall lineup includes M.I.A., the Shins, the Decemberists and Ween.