The Faint displays the best of Omaha at the Waiting Room

The Faint proved that it's not only Omaha's best live band, but Omaha's best band, at a packed Friday night show May 24 at the Waiting Room.

In the eyes of some, The Faint may no longer be an Omaha band, with two of its members now living elsewhere. But the Faint still records in the city, so it could still be considered the band's home base.

Closeness, Faint frontman Todd Fink's group with his wife, Orenda Fink, was the first band to warm up the audience, playing several songs written ahead of the tour. The new tracks included one inspired by the California desert where the Finks now live. The band has a big, dynamic sound, especially for one made up only of two singers, a guitar, bass, and synths.

Closeness. All photos by Christopher Windle.

The crowd, growing in number by the moment as the time drew near for The Faint to take the stage, also seemed to appreciate the melancholy, '80s inspired sound of the second opening band, Choir Boy.

The Waiting Room seemed at or close to capacity as the headliners stormed onstage, opening with "Quench the Flame" off new album "Egowerk." It's quite an experience to watch the band from near front-row center. I was surrounded by fans whose arms flailed along with Fink's, and heads that banged just like guitarist Dapose's and keyboardist Graham Ulicny's.

The Faint followed with "The Geeks Were Right" and "Desperate Guys," displaying the best of a band with seven studio albums. There was little room for a breather through the first several songs; I decided to retreat away from the stage for the rest of the show.

The band relied heavily on its back catalog, playing only four songs from "Egowerk." But "Chameleon Nights" and "Child Asleep," an intense way to start the show's encore, were definite highlights. The band has been playing the other "new" song, "Young & Realistic," for about three years.

But when a band has as impressive a catalog of songs as The Faint, it's hard the skip the career high points: the majestic "The Conductor," "Worked Up So Sexual," and "Glass Danse," which closed the show.

Though Omaha may not exactly be The Faint's hometown anymore, the "ex-hometown" crowd certainly embraced the band as its own, sing-shouting along to songs like "Paranoiattack" and "Agenda Suicide."

And I wouldn't be surprised if many in the audience came back for The Faint's encore performance the following night.