The Magnetic Fields are hardly suited to conventional rock performance. Due to a hearing condition called hyperacusis that amplifies sounds to the point of screeching feedback which plagues lead songwriter Stephin Merritt, The Magnetic Fields can’t have any percussion onstage. Merritt cringed and plugged his ear at every audience applause and although they have an album called Distortion, they certainly can’t use any of it when playing the tunes from that 2008 album. In fact, it was a rare moment during last night’s set when all five band members simultaneously played their instruments.

But since The Magnetic Fields’ reputation for brilliantly worded and darkly humorous songwriting stands hand in hand with Merritt’s reputation for snapping at cell phone users and whispering conversationalists, much of the audience already knew this, and keyboardist Claudia Gonson commented immediately on how well-trained of an audience D.C. was, being so quiet. To be fair, the band’s setup with five people sitting in a semi-circle, two of them behind music stands gives a pretty strong non-verbal cue.