The Pet Shop Boys performed at the Moore on Sunday, September 20. I always get nervous before seeing bands that have had already had their heyday (Styx, The Pretenders, NKOTB) because I don’t want my illusions of them to be shattered by a lackluster or downright embarrassing performance. The Pet Shop Boys may have received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the 2009 BRIT Awards earlier this year, but the height of their success was definitely during the ’80s and ’90s. But my worrying turned out to be unnecessary. Because the Pet Shop Boys are fucking fabulous live. It’s like watching an avant-garde fashion show with choreographed dance moves and strobe lights. The English electronic duo–comprised of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboarder Chris Lowe–shared the stage with robots, led the crowd in aerobic moves, and underwent several costume changes. Or, at least, Tennant did. Lowe kept on his sunglasses and maintained a cool faA§ade without so much as cracking a smile per usual. The Pet Shop Boys played a two-hour set that drew from their prolific catalogue of hits (although sadly, they left out two of my favorites “Opportunities (Let’s Make Some Money)” and “Flamboyant.” They had the predominately gay crowd enthusiastically clapping and dancing along to songs like “Always on My Mind” and “Go West.” They incorporated several video clips and dancers in wacky costumes into the show, rarely stopping between songs to talk with the crowd. The only time the concert lagged was when Tennant took the stage in a tux to sing three slow-tempo tracks that felt completely out of place and quite frankly, were boring as hell. It was the only glitch in the evening’s performance. The Pet Shop Boys delighted the crowd with a dancey cover of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” for which Tennant rocked a sparkling crown and even Lowe could be seen wearing a small smirk. At the end of the set, an explosion of silver confetti drifted onto fans at the Moore. The duo returned to the stage shortly after wearing what looked like either potted plants or massive amounts of feathers on their heads (I couldn’t tell from the row I was sitting in.) Included in their encore was “Being Boring”–a song that never achieved much commercial success but remains a beloved fan favorite. Perhaps because its lyrics (“And we were never being boring…”) describe the duo so well. Setlist: HeartDid You See Me Coming?Pandemonium/Can You Forgive Her? Love Etc.Building A Wall Go West Two Divided By ZeroWhy Don’t We Live Together? Always On My MindNew York City BoyCloser To Heaven Left To My Own DevicesDo I Have To?King’s CrossThe Way It Used To BeJealousySuburbiaAll Over The WorldSe A Vida A‰ (That’s The Way Life Is)Viva La Vida It’s A SinEncore:Being BoringWest End Girls