Start with one rock band. Subtract some hair, add an accordion, more cowbell, a brass trio that blows hard, and slosh in a generous dose of nerd. VoilOe. You've just mixed yourself a nice, hot cup of They Might Be Giants' show at the Roxy Saturday night.Aided by their touring band and the Tricerachops, a jazzy, snazzy and generally fantastic sax/trumpet/trombone trio, Giants' John Linnell and John Flansburgh presented songs from their new album, The Else, in high style. Since the duo released its 1986 self-titled debut album, nothing has beat They Might Be Giants for geeky fun, and Saturday's performance showcased some of the best tracks of The Else as well as famously quirky banter from the Johns, such as: "Fenway is classy. Except for the vomit." The set interspersed new songs, such as the wonderful "Upside Down Frown," with typically bizarre TMBG hilarity, like a phone call from beyond the grave with multimillionaire car salesman Ernie Boch.

To be honest, I was worried that TMBG's music might be in danger of achieving a certain remote limpness live, with its weird lyrics ("Catbug is a cat, but he's got bugness in his veins / Manhouse lives within himself with thoughtful human brains.") and sweet, poppy melodies such as those found in "Where Do They Make Balloons." But Dan Hickey kept up the driving drums, grinning all the while, and, along with Dan Miller and Dan Weinkauf on guitar and bass, gave the band more of a rock 'n' roll punch than its studio sound possesses. The aforementioned brass trio swept away any danger of a less-than-smashing performance. Helping the band along were songs in the more "Boss of Me" sound than "James K. Polk" style of many new tracks off The Else, a style that easily sets audiences enthusiastically head-bobbing. Although Saturday's audience needed little encouragement to laugh, cheer or belt right back at the Johns and their talented backers.

The uncharacteristic heavy rock beat of "With the Dark" translated well to the stage, especially with enthusiastic percussion and, at the risk of repeating myself, truly fantastic brass backing. As a traditional Brandeis student (read: I'm a giant nerd), I especially enjoyed "The Mesopotamians," a fact-replete tribute to four of the most famous Mesopotamian dudes ever to climb a ziggurat, as well as that deliciously scientific dial-a-song ode "Mammal." Then there were the bouncy performances of "E Eats Everything" and "Alphabet of Nations," songs from TMBG's children's album played entirely without irony and entirely with flair to listeners who ranged in age from made-in-the-'80s to Oh-man-I'm-bopping-next-to-people-old-enough-to-be-my-parents. The set closed, of course, with the perennial favorite "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," made fresh by a solo from Tricerachops that blew everyone away. My brass-playing companion assured me that not only were the players as amazing as they sounded to those uninitiated in the mysteries of the mouthpiece, but that Dan "The Machine" Levine's fiery trombone technique is "impossible."

Sure, I would have liked to hear other older hits, such as "Ana Ng" or "Birdhouse in Your Soul" or "Why Does the Sun Shine?," and judging from what I heard while eavesdropping on other concertgoers, I wasn't alone. I also wasn't alone in recognizing that the first encore's "Particle Man" and "Dr. Worm" more than made up for it with pure nerd energy and more of the Tricerachops, especially "Particle Man." According to an additional verse improvised by John Linnell, Ernie Boch's skeletal arm cannot defeat the infamous Triangle Man. Plus, who could resist a duo that finishes a concert with an accordion and vocals rendition of Lesley Gore's teen classic "Maybe I Know?"

Good thing TMBG puts show recordings up for download at theymightbegiants.com. This one is worth hearing again.