The only other time I saw The Rentals [m-s] was at the very first Deck the Hall Ball at Mercer Arena in 1995*. I was just a kid then and the enduring memory I have is of Tripping Daisy lead man Tim DeLaughter’s cape and crown, which in retrospect, made him appear startlingly like the Creepy King (DeLaughter and Tripping Daisy bandmates later went on to form The Polyphonic Spree). I wish I could go back in time and appreciate the genius of Jawbreaker, Mike Watt playing bass for Porno for Pyros, Sonic Youth’s 15-minute rendition of Kool Thing, or Oasis’ genuine enthusiastic cooperation.

And then there was The Rentals. I didn’t know it at the time (nobody did) but there were two things about The Rentals that would set them apart from the other bands. (1) One of their members would move on to achieve stardom as an actress/comedian, and (2) The Rentals would last, albeit in fits and starts, longer than any of the other bands on the ticket except for the venerable Sonic Youth and the mercurial Oasis.

In support of their new EP, appropriately titled The Last Little Life EP, The Rentals (7 members strong) took the stage at Neumos last night. The best way I can describe The Rentals is like this: Imagine a group of adults who double as really geeky theater kids. Then also imagine them each as talented musicians whose goal is to sell, sell, sell their performance by emoting to the beat of the songs — all with Matt Sharp as their lead actor. Here’s how it went down:

Before the first chords were struck on the first song, lead man Sharp jumps up and down and wiggles around the crowded stage bumping a mic stand nearly knocking it over before colliding with giggly violinist Lauren Chipmen. With the tone set for the rest of night, the show begins and Sharp continues his spastic movements while imploring the audience to feel the music with him. He leans over the edge of the stage with a rapt look and grabs and squeezes (again, with feeling) the top of a head. Then, as if the head he just touched is made of flubber, he rebounds toward the back of the stage, twisting around bass player Rachel Haden only to end up reaching out toward another head in the audience — using that head to balance precariously on one foot while the rest of his body hangs over the crowd. He reaches toward the back of the room with his free hand, squeezes it into a fist, and slowly brings it toward his heart. Shooting to mid-stage, he shares a knowing smile with Chipmen who laughs and dances around with her violin.

Repeat 13 times and that’s The Rentals.

And it was fun. It had been so long since I’d listened to them that I almost forgot why I liked them in the first place. But there they were, in all their goofy glory, helping me feel like a kid again.

*1995 Deck the Hall Ball lineup: Tripping Daisy, Jawbreaker, Everclear, The Rentals, Oasis, Sonic Youth, Porno for Pyros