Pavement lands on solid ground in reunion

Eleven years after their breakup, the scruffy “why not?’’ charm of the quintet’s rangey songs — all tart melodies half-buried in cockeyed grooves, shouted choruses, and wobbly genius guitar licks — remains intact. Whether it was the fluttering guitar and bracing drum breakdown of “Stop Breathin,’ ’’ or the woozy buildup and crashdown of “Grounded,’’ or the ramshackle amble of “Range Life,’’ the band members, led by Stephen Malkmus’s angular warble, brought the vaunted catalog back to life. There were moments of pure pop beauty, turns into punk cacophony, and meanderings into a more psychedelic zone. And while the crowd of 4,000-plus fans didn’t fill the hall with bodies, they brought enough palpable enthusiasm to help brighten even the unpopulated corners.

While Malkmus is the ostensible frontman, with guitarist Scott Kannberg contributing a few spirited lead vocals, it was percussionist-vocalist-loose cannon Bob Nastanovich who provided the night’s highest energy focal point. Bounding around the stage whacking cowbells, sending shout-outs to random Massachusetts towns, tootling on toy trumpets, banging a snare drum, and generally bolstering Malkmus’s vocals with crazed shouting, Nastanovich injected a welcome dose of frenzy to the laid-back ambience.

It’s a shame more of the Pavement crowd didn’t find its way to the stands for openers Jenny & Johnny. Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley and singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice — who are entangled romantically as well as musically — exhibited a low-key affability during a zippy warm-up set of tunes from their recent debut, “I’m Having Fun Now,’’ buoyed by delectable boy-girl harmonies. Lewis especially charmed as she belted out roots-pop gems like “Straight Edge of the Blade’’ and “Committed’’ with both a wink and real vocal firepower.

Sarah Rodman can be reached at srodman@globe.com