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A bit of fun

LIT UP: A theater wasn’t the best place to dance, but Bloc Party made the most of it.

The Orpheum turned into a sweatbox a week ago Wednesday as British superstars Bloc Party turned out a quick set of their now familiar angular pop. “If you feel the need to get up out of your seat and do some crazy-ass dancing, go for it,” shouted singer Kele Okereke, gaunt as ever. “Coming from the UK it’s a bit of an adjustment,” he added, pointing to the Orpheum’s contained audience. “But as long as you’re having fun, that’s what counts.” A rowdy Irish gang were having fun flying their flag, and when the quartet played “Banquet,” about 200 cellphones went up in the air. The lighting operator was having a lot of fun too, tapping an audience strobelight on the rousing “Like Eating Glass” (from their 2005 breakthrough, Silent Alarm). The crowd didn’t seem as enthusiastic during the newer songs from the tepid A Weekend in the City (Vice). Putting an extra drum set on stage didn’t rescue the torpid “Sunday” (which they played as an encore), though Okereke did get an approving roar when he introduced it as “a song about hangovers.”

Mostly, with the exception of the occasional hit, Bloc Party’s deeper cuts simply ran together. On the bright side, the simple lighting was handled with impeccable timing. “You’ve been very well behaved,” Okereke said, again referring to the empty aisles. “But are you feeling naughty, Boston? . . . I said, are you feeling naughty, Boston?” And then Bloc Party launched into the final tune, “She’s Hearing Voices.” Two rowdy dudes responded by jumping on stage and playing air guitar next to Okereke. He shook their hands and hinted, “We might be back sooner than you think.”

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