The band was eight members strong on stage, and the most amazing part of this show was seeing the multi-layered instrumentation and vocals played out live.

Elusive power-poppers The New Pornographers can be a tricky band to catch live, but those who caught them at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater on Oct. 17 witnessed a tight and energetic performance.

Since the Pornographers are stacked with successful solo artists, the band’s members are seldom able to line up all of their schedules for a tour. In the past, at least a few members haven’t been able to hit the road with the band. This time around, the usually absent Neko Case and Dan Bejar were both on hand, and their presence took the show to the next level of amazing.

Bejar, of the band Destroyer, didn’t play with the band for the entire set, but only came out to sing and play for the songs he’s written. His on-again/off-again performance was a little quirky, but he played his parts well and his distinct voice was a definite boost to an already great show.

Case’s alternative-country solo material is much slower and less poppy than most Pornographers songs, but nevertheless, some of the band’s strongest songs have always been those featuring Case. Her satiny alto absolutely filled the Pabst during songs like “Challengers,” “Mass Romantic,” and “Go Places.”

Case shares lead vocal duties with Newman on all four of the band’s full-length albums, so it was wonderful to finally hear her performing live with the band. Keyboardist and backup vocalist Kathryn Calder normally sings her parts at concerts, and while Calder is more than talented in her own right, there’s just something about hearing songs exactly as they were meant to be heard.

This is exactly how the band performed their set. The Pornographers didn’t really expand their songs much beyond what can be heard on their albums, but they played their songs cohesively and almost without flaw.

The band was eight members strong on stage, and the most amazing part of this show was seeing the multi-layered instrumentation and vocals played out live. It’s easy to gloss over elements like accordion, harmonica, banjo and mandolin when listening to the band’s albums, especially because many songs feature shape-shifting synthesizers that can confuse the ear.

In concert, all of these instruments were played to help complete the complex sounds heard on the band’s records. It was incredible to see them added piece-by-piece into songs and then hear the results. Likewise, it was frequent that four or five members of the Pornographers would be singing simultaneously for incredible harmonies and a soaring synergy.

Over the course of an hour and a half-long performance, the band played every track off their most recent release, “Challengers,” as well as several from their second newest album, “Twin Cinema.” Though sticking mainly to the newer half of their catalog, the band did play a few fan favorites from past albums as well, including “Mass Romantic,” “The Body Says No” and “The Slow Decent into Alcoholism.”

The audience was appreciative, if a little sleepy. The first two levels of the theater were packed with fans that sang along and applauded gratefully, but otherwise didn’t move much. This didn’t put much of a damper on the show, though, and the band members seemed to be enjoying themselves.

As The New Pornographers have steadily gained in popularity over the past seven years, they have played more and more shows. This has brought them to Milwaukee twice in the past two years for great shows and, judging by the attendance of Thursday night’s show, should bring them back again soon.

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