Silversun Pickups Sub in Bassist Sarah Neghadari for Sleepy Show at Voodoo 2012

Silversun Pickups opened their set at 2012’s Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans with a slow, creeping number (‘Skin Graph,’ the first song on 2012’s ‘Neck of the Woods.’) While no one does slow-creep rock quite like Silversun, the loping track got the show of to a bit of a tepid note – and, on a chilly fall night, on a stage that's just a little two big, the band wasn't ever really able to pick up the pace.

They spent the rest of the set resting on the slow, lethargic rock that sounds just fine on the home stereo, but left lots of Voodoo-goers – many of whom were waiting for festival headliner Metallica – just boredly tapping their feet.

The band played with one lineup substitution – Sarah Neghadari, now playing with Silversun in place of bassist Nikki Monninger, who’s sitting out the band’s fall tour on maternity leave. At their best, they were able to rouse the sleepy crowd for a few fist-pumps. At the close of their set, after reminding the audience to stay for, in reference to Metallica’s set, “metal up your a–, and all that jazz,” they broke through the waves of sleepy fuzz and feedback with pure, Springsteenian rock joy.

Their set closer, ‘Lazy Eye,’ thumped like a real anthem, as if the denim in singer Brian Aubert’s jacket were leading the band instead. On this chilly New Orleans evening, they were finally able to warm up the crowd – at least for a few tunes.