Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic FieldsCompared to a typical concert, this night felt too orderly to be true–in a refreshingly fantastic way. House lights dimmed promptly at eight, set times were strictly adhered to… there was even an intermission. But if nothing else, it was a night filled with uncommonly brilliant artistry. Watching opening performer Mark Eitzel kind of felt like sitting in the living room with your favorite crazy uncle–who just happened to be an epically brilliant poet and an equally powerful vocalist. The only problem with his set was its brevity.Of course, the main attraction was The Magnetic Fields and frontman Stephin Merritt, and while his ukelele-complimented baritone was clearly on the recovering side of a cold there was no difficulty staying captivated for two hours. One perk of Merritt’s three-minutes-or-less songwriting style was the incredible number of songs the group was able to perform, reaching to a wide stretch of their 23-album catalog.Though the humor of the stage banter, mostly maintained by keyboardist Claudia Gonson, was a little tedious and difficult to follow at first, it was downright hilarious by the end–a fitting contrast to the depth of Merrit’s lyricism.More photos after the jump.Opening artist Mark Eitzel, formerly of American Music ClubShirley Simms, Magnetic Fields vocalist and autoharpistMagnetic Fields Guitarist John Woo