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The Beths returned to Boston on Sunday night for the first of two sold-out shows at The Royale, a double-header booked only after the first night evaporated almost instantly. The band has built a reputation for packing venues, but this time felt different. The room was filled wall to wall, the balcony just as packed, and movement was difficult once the lights went down. It was the most tightly crammed night I’ve seen at the venue all year.

Touring behind their latest album Straight Line Was a Lie, released in August, The Beths built the set almost entirely around the new record. They played nearly every track, a testament to how cleanly the material slots into their catalog and how excited fans are to hear it live. The album’s title track opened the night, followed by a run of new songs that showed how seamlessly the band’s melodic instincts and nervy guitar work have carried into their fourth full-length.

Older favorites were scattered throughout the set like anchors. “Future Me Hates Me,” “Acrid,” “Jump Rope Gazers,” and “Expert in a Dying Field” all made appearances and earned the biggest reactions of the night. Just before hitting “Expert in a Dying Field,” the band slipped into a brief cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” a knowing nod to the calendar. It was December first, Thanksgiving had officially passed, and Boston was ready to lean into holiday season whether anyone planned it or not.

The crowd’s energy never dipped. The new songs were greeted with the same enthusiasm as the classics, and the synergy onstage made clear why The Beths continue to evolve without losing the charm that defined their early work. Elizabeth Stokes’ vocals cut through the venue’s dense sound, and the band’s trademark balance of anxiety and brightness played out as sharply in person as it does on the record.

Opening the night was Phoebe Rings, a rising New Zealand band whose dream-pop and city-pop blend created a completely different atmosphere from the headliner but worked surprisingly well. The group, now a full band after originally starting as Crystal Choi’s solo project, leaned into the softer side of their debut album Aseurai. The music was airy and unhurried, something they joked about themselves by acknowledging it steers toward the sleepy. Even so, it resonated with the room. The lush synth textures, delicate vocals, and layered arrangements felt like the warm-up to a dream before The Beths snapped the room awake.

By the time The Beths closed the encore with “Take,” it was clear why they needed a second show. Boston has always shown up for this band, but the intensity of this crowd made the night feel like something more than a routine tour stop. Straight Line Was a Lie may have shaped the setlist, but the story of the night was the band’s growing momentum and a room that felt lucky to witness it.

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