In the wake of their new release Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley fans concerned that the band would become more of a Jenny Lewis solo project than a group effort got all the reassurance they needed Sunday night at Webster Hall.

The second of two sold-out New York shows got off to a wobbly start, as guitarist Blake Sennett and the crew scrambled to deal with a technical problem, while the seemingly dauntless Lewis began by belting out “It’s a Hit” from their last album More Adventurous. Though she acted oblivious to what was going on behind her, Lewis clearly had her finger on the button, inviting Sennett, or “B-Man” as she calls him, into the action as soon as he was up and running. The day before had been Sennett’s birthday, and he debuted a new flashing belt buckle bearing his nickname, a fitting accessory to the band’s new sound and look.

Rilo Kiley has turned up the heat on Under the Blacklight, delivering a flashier and darker affair than ever before, and their live act has progressed accordingly, with an explosive light show to match the songs. Over the course of the night, they played twenty songs from their four albums and two side projects, at points wowing the crowd as they played something new, and getting the audience in on the act as backup chorus during “With Arms Outstretched.”

In the three years since their last album together, Sennett has released a second album with his side project The Elected, and Lewis put out her first solo record with the Watson twins, both to critical acclaim. Because the band has always boasted two stars, the side projects always made Rilo fans leery. Even Sennett himself, as he has confessed in recent interviews, was frightened. But when Under the Blacklight was released in August, we could hear that absence had indeed made the heart grow fonder, or in this case made the music grow stronger.

Though Lewis — a born star possessing a crystalline voice and unabashed sex appeal — certainly ruled the show for the first five songs, as the set progressed she receded to her keyboard and melodica, and the spotlight steadily moved to Sennett, himself a true showman. Performing “Dreamworld,” the one song on the album Sennett wrote and sings lead vocals on, and also “Ripchord” from the last album, new fans got a taste of the true partnership that exists in this band (and from the lack requests shouted out by the audience, there were clearly a good deal of new fans mixed in with die-hards). In fact, during the encore, Lewis revealed she had written “Give a Little Love” on Under the Blacklight for Sennett before launching into it, lending a new meaning to its vocals: “I know you better than you want me to…”

To seal the deal, toward the end of the set, Rabbit Fur Coat fans were rewarded with a rendition of “Rise Up with Fists!” infused with the edgier sound of Rilo Kiley 2007, which was immediately followed by a version of “Greetings in Braille” from The Elected’s 2004 record Me First. Rilo Kiley: nothing if not democratic.

–Julia Clarke

Setlist:
It’s a Hit
Close Call
Portions for Foxes
Paint’s Peeling
Breakin’ Up
Dreamworld
The Moneymaker
Wires and Waves
Ripchord
With Arms Outstretched
A Man/Me/Then Jim
Blacklight Loop
Silver Lining
I Never
Smoke Detector
Rise Up with Fists!
Greetings in Braille
Spectacular Views

Encore:
Give a Little Love
Does He Love You?