Legendary Pink Dots at Casbah

First, original LPD member Silverman came onstage to set up his modified keyboard and assorted, unidentifiable electrodevices. Cofounder Edward Ka-Spell joined him later with recent addition Erik. A buzzy speaker prompted a restart of show opener "Russian Roulette" (from their newest album, like most of the set), but LPD transfixed the crowd thereafter.

Coruscating soundscapes of Silverman's gizmos created a rhapsody only punctuated by Erik's guitar work. Ka-Spell's timbre spilled surreal verses over pointed gestures. Like classical-concert audiences, we quietly swayed to the music only to erupt like Vesuvius between songs. We closed eyes, focusing on LPD's crafted interplay of the overtones and subharmonic oscillations that digital repro cannot capture.

LPD avoided earlier psychedelic stuff ("Remember Me This Way" excepted), focusing instead on the past five years, which were highlighted by "Plutonium Blonde." The finale was fan-favorite "New Tomorrow," and the encore was from Tear Garden, their Skinny Puppy collaboration.

There’s a crowd at the merch booth after the show because LPD had fully demonstrated why Rolling Stone wrote that the band turns out "some of the most enigmatic and challenging compositions in modern music." And I'm happy to buy direct.

• Concert: Legendary Pink Dots
• Venue: Casbah
• Date: November 15
• Seats: Center stage, front