From Death Cab to Doll, a rousing good time

Frontman Ben Gibbard (far left) performs with Death Cab for Cutie at the WFNX Best Music Poll concert. (Robert E. Klein for the Boston Globe)

If the concession stands had been selling hot cocoa and wool scarves at Saturday's WFNX Best Music Poll show at the Bank of America Pavilion, they would've done blockbuster business.

The 5 1/2-hour concert went from afternoon cool to see-your-breath chill as the artists of the wildly eclectic but uniformly solid lineup tried their level best to heat up the crowd.

Headliner Death Cab for Cutie played an expansive 85-minute set and proved it warrants its graduation to the larger stages it now commands. Offering a sneak preview of its forthcoming album "Narrow Stairs," the Seattle quartet spun a complex web of churning guitars and stuttering rhythms.

New single "I Will Possess Your Heart" was propelled by the ominous bass of Nick Harmer - an energetic stage presence - and lead singer Ben Gibbard's oddly seductive stalker croon. Older tracks like "The New Year" landed with a satisfying crash and clatter while breakthrough singles "Soul Meets Body" and "Crooked Teeth" offered up more of a fizzy pop bounce.

The night's only miscalculation came when Gibbard criticized the green, shamrock-festooned version of the Red Sox hat. The packed house, loudly, let him know this was a no-no. He recovered quickly, however, by launching into the darkly romantic, love-transcends-death acoustic ballad "I Will Follow You Into the Dark."

For sheer heartwarming lunacy, and in diametric opposition to Death Cab's brooding muscularity, The Presidents of the United States of America offered up humorous and heartfelt renditions of antic grunge-era favorites "Lump" and "Peaches," winning new tunes like "Ladybug" and covers of the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" and the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." Frontman Chris Ballew also dedicated the snappy "Ghosts Are Everywhere" to his late friend, Morphine leader Mark Sandman.

Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer began her set with a ukulele rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" showing off her strong post-vocal cord surgery voice. She promptly began to punish her newly-healed throat, and her keyboard, in her unique way with a pair of riveting tracks from her upcoming solo album, a cover of Regina Spektor's guttural "Uh-Merica" and the Dresden Dolls' "Coin-Operated Boy." Fellow Doll Brian Viglione snuck up behind her with a clown horn during that number and gave her a mischievous surprise and then returned on acoustic guitar for a spirited "Two-Headed Boy."

Armed with his trusty, reverb-drenched electric guitar, a fit and bearded Bob Mould ran through a set list that included tracks from his energized new album "District Line" as well as classics - including "See a Little Light" and "Wishing Well" - that no doubt sent the night's only welcome shivers up the spines of the old school alt-rock fans in the house.

The act that would've benefitted the most from humidity instead of frigidity was local rising star Eli "Paperboy" Reed and his band the True Loves. More suited to a swampy juke joint, the group's critically acclaimed retro soul stylings might've drawn more folks under the big top if they weren't out strolling the perimeter in an attempt to keep their circulation going.