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The balding and the beard I’m accustomed to, but I’ll always get a kick out of the way Doug Martsch moves. With just his guitar speaking (or howling) to the crowd, his head’s usually down and his body is stiff, almost timid. But as soon as he opens his mouth, his entire frame gives a little spasm and his neck rolls around wildly and suddenly he’s the most exuberant man in the room with the body language of a Ritalin-deprived child getting a triple dose of Pixy Stix.

Built to Spill in concert is much like that still-to-spazz interplay posture in the same spaces. The idea of “Neil Young-ian” jams typically sound yawns unless they come from Neil Young, but Built to Spill make them as potent and exciting as sub-three minute spiky power pop. The setlist was low on the band’s terrific shorter nuggets, but when they burned bright for six, seven, eight or more minutes, it had the infectious fire of two or three of those little gems strung out with a melodic motif for connective tissue. And in the noise-dense atmosphere of a crowded but intimate musical venue, the reverb was a constant peal broken by the alternate chime of a cleaner guitar, the clanging rhythm section (bassist Brett Nelson was a beast that night) and Martsch’s charming vocal whine. 

Before BTS landed, the crowd was treated to opening act Disco Doom, who were also relatively staid in stance but also brought the lovely roar. Viscous shoegaze texture with an exotic swing pierced by space rock embellishments, they may not have gotten the crowd blitzkrieging the stage, but the reaction was warm and, in pockets, enthusiastic. The wall of distortion was leavened amusingly by tinkly keys from a keyboard that looked like a Casio, but DD came to be loud and aggressive and several songs were quite catchy (I especially enjoyed “The Magic Arc Song”’s krautrock tickle). Check them out on MySpace here.

But this was Built to Spill’s night and they opened their set with an impossibly heavy jam that just built larger and louder until I thought the roof was going to collapse. The fade was both an exhilaration and a relief—I had survived. From there, the band mostly stuck to their Perfect from Now On and Keep It Like a Secret period, keeping the beats tense but the guitar workouts exploratory. There were a couple I didn’t recognize (I assume they were previews to the band’s new album), but the familiar ones usually stoked the crowd seconds after launching. The fans were also prone to shout out requests towards the stage—the band admitted they had no planned setlist and were simply making it up as they went—but the most common appeals were, sadly, left unanswered (more on that in a bit).

The immediate highlights were fan favorites like “The Plan” and “Big Dipper,” but there was never a moment when the customers cooled on their heels impatiently. Energy, by necessity, waxed and waned according to the belligerence of the band’s assault, but it was a mostly intense performance that proved that these veteran rockers have the fire that most teenage punks wish they could muster. The only real disappointment came during the “omission list” realization at night’s end, but you can’t fault BTS for that—they just have too many damn great tunes. Still, I was pretty surprised that they didn’t run through “Car,” considering it was the closest the band came to having a bonafide hit on their hands, but their concerts have always been independent of demands, and kudos to them for not centering their shows around fair weather fans. Luckily, the song I wanted to hear that night more than any other (“Goin’ Against Your Mind”) was the barn-burning encore and it handily brought the house down through an electrifying performance.

The remaining shows on Built to Spill’s tour can be seen on the band’s website. Try to check them out if they come near you—they’re still a terrific live act.