Must have been looking haggard when I showed up at the Bootleg tonight, because the gal at the door gave me a stamp that bluntly said “OLD.” (Upon closer inspection, there was a very faint “F” at the front of the word, indicating the promoter.) But a show starting at 10:30? At night? I was a bit concerned about staying conscious the whole time. Fortunately, when Field Music came on stage somewhere close to midnight, they brought the place to life. Theirs is crisp, clean type of rock, but its tricky time signatures and shifts give it a sort of off-kilter liveliness. And the vocal work is top notch: effortless melodies, tight harmonies—sometimes three or four parts—and precise falsetto.

The audience responded most enthusiastically to entries from Field Music’s outstanding self-titled debut. The new, also self-titled double album doesn’t pack in the instant hits the way the debut did. But given its more challenging approach—fewer hooks, more “arty,” for lack of a better term—and the fact that it only came out a few weeks ago, it’s a safe assumption that the latest collection is still growing on many of us. But there were some standouts live from the new one. “The Rest Is Noise” starts with an almost show-tune like jauntiness, ascends into an incredibly satisfying chorus, and then sneaks into a chiming outro that sounds lifted from Marquee Moon. On the record, “Measure” is highlighted by some gorgeous strings, which didn’t make it on tour (Field Music was actually borrowing its equipment from the similarly named opener, Learning Music), but they did a fine job substituting guitar lines.

As it turned out, I was not nearly the oldest person in the building. A gentleman whom I’d estimate at about 70 was in attendance. Also, at one point, a middle-age man cut through the room holding what appeared to be his dry cleaning. Then again, it was very late—maybe I was just dreaming.

—Thomas McMahon