Photo by Francis Chung

Devendra Banhart played to a half-full 9:30 Club on Wednesday night, achieving occasional moments of brilliance, but generally failing to create the spirited vibe that often energizes his live shows. Indeed, it was the night before Thanksgiving, but performers and audience alike seemed already mired in a tryptophan-induced state of torpor. As if in acknowledgment that the slightest distraction might prove critical in such an anemic environment, photographers were relegated to the margins of the venue, though this arguably succeeded only in ensuring that there would be scant visual evidence of the evening’s somewhat lackluster proceedings.