As musicians, they were dexterous, swiftly switching both genre or instrument.
As comedians, they were outstanding, even when they deviated from the routine.
As entertainers, New Zealand's self-proclaimed fourth-best acoustic folk duo left little else one might want to see. After years of live performance and an HBO show, too, its somewhat expected for the makers of the song "Robots" to deliver with the accurate precision of one.
The duo's routine was a well-oiled machine. To tell every detail would be to spoil part of the fun and step on their punch lines.
And there were punch lines, even fresh or unfamiliar ones, even in the old material. As anyone who has listened to the same stand-up comedy album until the jokes stopped being funny, they know the value of sprucing up old material with a new twist.
One such change was in "Robots," in which the Conchords claim to be machines who helped wipe out the human race. The twist was Jemaine Clement noting that among the robots many changes to society was the removal of metal detectors from airports "because it was taking too long."
An unexpected highlight of the show was "1353," a new song. Clement narrates the tale of a young man who attempts to "woo a lady" in the title year, a tale infused with the Conchords purposefully awkward brand of comedy.
When they improvised, they were just as funny. To a person waving oversized hands in the first few rows, Clement remarked how difficult such paws must make operating an iPhone. This then turned into a diatribe somehow both for and against Apple.
The crowd used such moments to yell and aim to distract the pair, an unexpected sight in a venue as large as the Greek Theater. Clement and his cohort, Bret McKenzie, handled it well, turning on the house lights to read people's homemade signs and robot costumes.
The audience also used its power to alter the setlist. Nearly 90 minutes into the band's two-hour set, McKenzie encouraged the seated crowd to rise as it coaxed the Conchords into an impromptu rendition of its bass-thumping homage to the clubs, "Too Many D**** (On the Dance Floor)."
Later, when the lights went out in the middle of "Bowie," the band's members tore off their nice clothes to reveal sequined, skin-tight, full-body leotards. Even "the third Conchord," bassist Nigel Collins introduced as "The entire New Zealand Symphony Orchestra" had such attire.
It infused the set-closing "Demon Woman" with a moment of timewarped irony. Sporting electric guitars and with Collins on drums, the band roared through the tune in full-on glam rock spirit before pretending to smash its instruments by gently pushing them or laying them on stage.
Earlier in the night, Eugene Merman and Arj Barker, cast members from the TV show, served as opening acts, each doing about 20 minutes of stand-up comedy.
Between the laughs and the music, it's hard to imagine the Conchords act landing any better.
Setlist: Robots / The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room) / Hurt Feelings / If You're Into It / Albi the Racist Dragon / Jenny / Think About It / Korean Karaoke (Oh, Dance, Baby) / 1353 / You Don't Love Me Anymore / Epileptic Dogs / I'm Not Crying / Inner City Pressure / Boom / Too Many D**** (On the Dance Floor) / Back on the Road / Bowie / Demon Woman / ENCORE / Business Time / Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros