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Selling out the Pabst Theater, as indie-rock band Interpol did Saturday, is a fine accomplishment.

But some fans — and possibly the band itself — might have expected sold-out shows at much larger venues by now.

When Interpol's debut album "Turn Out the Bright Lights" arrived in 2002, it was heralded as an instant masterpiece among music tastemakers, embodying edgy, New York City cool at a time when the city was in desperate need of love. It was so good, in fact, that it overshadowed every Interpol album that followed.

But the recurring narrative among music writers is that Interpol's fall album "El Pintor" is a return to form, the band's best since 2004's "Antics," possibly even since the debut. And Saturday, perhaps not so coincidentally, a "Pintor" track immediately followed a "Lights" song on a couple of occasions, as if the band was trying to say it's still got it.

And it does. Interpol started its efficient, 90-minute set with "Lights" highlight "Say Hello to the Angels." Daniel Kessler's guitar led the band through "Angels'" mood swings, from his head-bob-triggering, chugging riffs; to body-moving, post-punk licks; to heart-fluttering, yearning melodies; then back to the chugging again in the blink of an eye. Frontman Paul Banks' voice maintained its beguiling blend of detached monotone and melodramatic intonation.

The performance set the mood — and "My Blue Supreme," the angsty, full-bodied "Pintor" track that came after, maintained the momentum. Later, "Lights" song "Hands Away," with its brooding, tense buildup and segues, found release in the smoldering guitar and yearning vocals of "Pintor" track "My Desire" that followed.

But Interpol also showcased other strong points from its catalog. "Evil" — Interpol's most melodic, lyrically vivid song, from "Antics" — may have been the most enthusiastically received song of the night. And while the song "Lights" may have been unintentionally cartoonish on Interpol's 2010 self-titled album — Banks' lyrics and vocals sound like they're lifted from a pompous heavy-metal ballad — the drama worked in the theatrical setting.

Then during the encore, Interpol offered up one last "then and now" juxtaposition. It ended with two "Lights" songs — the waltz-like sway of "NYC," and the album's most ambitious offering, the 6-minute-plus "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down." And the encore began with "El Pintor" single "All the Rage Back Home," Interpol's most rollicking track in years, thanks largely to Sam Fogarino's restless, relentless drumming.

Interpol may have hit its creative peak in the very beginning. But Saturday, it was during that performance of "Rage," one of Interpol's newest songs, that the band was in its finest form.

The opener, exotic electronic rock act Hundred Waters, has become a mightier live band since it opened for Alt-J at the Riverside Theater 20 months ago. Cymbal-crashing percussion and rushing synthesizers flowed like wild rapids, while mystical flute and Nicole Miglis' chilled, operatic vocals recalled a serene lake moments before daybreak. But as was the case at that Alt-J gig, Hundred Waters unfortunately had to play over a sea of audience chatter.

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THE

TAKEAWAYS

■ Interpol's set list was almost identical to a recent Chicago show with one notable exception: the addition of "Rest My Chemistry" from 2007's "Our Love to Admire," a song that frontman Paul Banks said it hadn't played in a while.

■ Standout banter: "Thanks so much. This is beautiful." — Banks, in what was practically the only banter of the night, aside from occasionally identifying "El Pintor" songs

THE SETLIST

1. "Say Hello to the Angels"

2. "My Blue Supreme"

3. "Anywhere"

4. "Evil"

5. "Hands Away"

6. "My Desire"

7. "Take You on a Cruise"

8. "Everything is Wrong"

9. "Lights"

10. "Breaker 1"

11. "Rest My Chemistry"

12. "PDA"

13. "Not Even Jail"

14. "Slow Hands"

ENCORE

15. "All the Rage Back Home"

16. "NYC"

17. "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down"