What's that I hear? The sound of marching feet?

I'll trade you three peace marches for one Ted Leo ticket. He and his band attracted a fired-up NoisePop crowd to the Great American Music Hall last evening, and delivered the goods, despite his alleged jetlag and some sort of norovirus he claimed was slowing him down. We couldn't tell. Leo's righteous anger and despair at the state of national affairs are infectious, and his personal emotional investment in his own work is paramount.

We skipped the first two acts in favor of Mangosteen and Ha-Ra. I liked third act Georgie James just fine. It seemed like the drummer was driving the bus; the keyboard player had enough charisma to hold my interest, even if she was no Dusty Springfield at the mic.

Leo hit the ground running with "Little Dawn," launching into over-the-top choruses and extending the coda with a crazed chant as the band vamped. (They brought along second guitarist James Canty, restoring the quartet setup that preceded Shake the Sheets.) Though it peppered the set list with new songs, the band drew heavily from Sheets, leading to the curious spectacle of fist-pumping during "Me and Mia," a song that addresses eating disorders. (It took me awhile to catch on too.)

Drummer Chris Wilson brings remarkable technique to the table, adding elements of reggae and swing to the otherwise chugging rhythms (and deploying a nifty move where he somehow flips the stick over his right wrist). It says a lot that couples danced to Leo's songs; I guess people dance to Joe Jackson's first couple of records too. The tempo shifts and tricky on-off elemental arrangements keep things interesting, but it's really Leo's commitment to the material that makes the Pharmacists a great band. Toward the end of the night, there he was, tearing busted strings off his guitar, neck muscles still bulging, eyes still full of fire. They hit the stage like a hurricane, and finished like a tornado, wrapping up with an obscurity from Chumbawamba. (Check that Wikipedia entry. Who knew?)

Leo's aggressively political music doesn't seem belabored or forced. The entire presentation was equal parts rally and party, but it seemed like everyone had a good time. Stuff like this can be so much more convincing than taking to the streets, but I'll also grant that there's still a whole lot of walking to do.