I skirted to the right of the massive line for Paul Simon outside Webster Hall on Monday to access the smaller, but still significant line for The Studio at Webster Hall, which was hosting a brief and intimate show by Portugal. The Man. The basement filled up quickly with a largely "dude"-based crowd that was seemingly very pleased to be invited to see the group at such a venue.

Just a few minutes behind schedule, the band entered in a cloud of smoke and opened with "AKA M80 The Wolf." Even from the far left side of the room the sound quality of this smaller venue, combined with an experienced group of musicians, was impressive from the start. The drums and bass battled a bit both with tempo and volume, but it did not detract from the power of either drummer Jason Sechrist or bassist Zachary Carothers.

Heads banged to vocal intros that most could sing along to until the verse and chorus distorted the vocals into submission and John Gourley's shredding solos became the element of excitement. The band capitalized on the room and seemed eager to reach the point in their songs where they could really improvise with their individual instruments.

"The Sun" drew more excitement from the crowd than any other song until, of course, the last song and arguably their most well known, "People Say," from their 2009 album, The Majestic Majesty.

From my angle it took me a few songs to notice Ryan Neighbors sitting in front of a synthesizer and keyboard, but when I finally heard his backup vocals in full force I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful quality of his voice and only hoped I would hear more as the show progressed.

To the band's credit, the energy level didn’t wane for the entire set. The only downside was that the volume of the songs was relatively monotonous, as they peaked quickly and stayed at one level for their duration.

Closing with "People Say" was the perfect ending, as the crowd sang along until the band launched into a lengthy jam that closed concisely, and at just the right moment. It was played with the casual clarity of a song likely performed at most of their shows. The crowd chanted for an encore, and although it never came, it signified an appropriate appreciation for the fulfilling nature of a well-rounded and exciting set. Portugal. The Man is headed for a weekend in Tennessee where they will play at Bonnaroo Music Festival for the third straight year.