KEY POINTS:
If it wasn't dark, you would probably have seen the Shins blush at the ear-piercingly enthusiastic reception they received at Auckland's Powerstation.
The sold-out gig marked the indie popsters' second visit to New Zealand, with their last performance two years ago at the Kings Arms on the back their profile-raising soundtrack appearance in Zach Braff's 2004 film Garden State.
With the cover art from Wincing the Night Away making an alien-like backdrop, the quintet kicked off with Sleeping Lessons, a song seemingly custom-made for playing live with its mesmerising, energetic build-up.
But they made sure they didn't neglect fans of their earlier work, with a set list well split between all three Shins albums, Oh, Inverted World, Chutes Too Narrow, and this year's excellent Wincing the Night Away.
Randomly dipping in and out of their entire catalogue resulted in a somewhat haphazard set which interspersed their light and jangly pop tunes with the more epic and emotional numbers. But the screaming crowd didn't seem to care one jot.
Laidback frontman James Mercer is uncannily good at hitting those high notes, and masters their tricky and beautiful melodies with ease, even if he sometimes forgets the words. The rest of the band present a more energetic front, with one jumping guitarist looking like he belongs in a Californian pop-punk band. Hot and sweaty drummer Jesse Sandoval kept his smart tie firmly in place for the entire gig. And the band proved three guitars really are better than one when the keyboards were occasionally put aside.
Some of the best moments came in the encore, with Pink Floyd fans treated to a brilliant cover of Breathe from Dark Side of the Moon, and crowd pleaser Caring is Creepy.
And how very nice it was to be back at the Powerstation for a packed gig again, even if you couldn't drink upstairs and they serve you beer in cans.
