Spoon christens L.A.’s new Teragram Ballroom, which makes a solid first impression

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Indie-rock favorites Spoon were the headliners, but the new Teragram Ballroom was the star of the show Sunday night.

||| Photos by Michelle Shiers

The new, 600-capacity concert hall located a tick west of downtown L.A. opened its doors to a crowd heavy on VIPs and music industry types who were just as curious about the new venue as they were to see the Austin-bred rockers, who last year released their eighth album.

The Spoon faithful certainly got their money’s worth — Britt Daniel led bandmates Jim Eno, Eric Harvey, Rob Pope and Alex Fischel through a career-spanning set, albeit a different one that they played the night before at the sold-out Wiltern. They nailed catalog highlights such as 2001’s “Everything Hits At Once,” 2005’s “The Beast and the Dragon, Adored” and 2007’s “Don’t You Evah.” They played the new song “Satellite” that they had debuted earlier this year, hit the new album “They Want My Soul” hard and in all played 90 minutes with machine-like precision.

The Teragram, meanwhile, came off pretty much as advertised — it’s an unextravagant but elegant room with a domed ceiling, excellent sight lines and good sound, according to a random sampling of musicians and industry types who were asked for their first impressions. Opinions on the room itself ranged from “clean and beautiful” to “feels like the El Rey only smaller” to “a little sterile.” Musicians in the audience gave the sound generally good marks, and many in attendance were impressed by the design flourishes in the foyer and two bar areas that flank the entrance.

From a distance, the foyer appears lined with mosaic tile, but on closer inspection it’s actually wallpaper accented by a pattern of guitar picks. The wallpaper in each bar is distinctive as well, especially the west bar, which, said architect Brian Swier (brother of Teragram co-owner Michael Swier), “looks like grandma’s floral print” until you look closer to see barbed wire and surveillance cameras.

Austin nine-piece Sweet Spirit (imagine the Mowgli’s with bluesier vocals and a horn section) kicked off the night with an exuberant set; Daniels, who had enlisted them as a backing band for his solo shows in the past, joined a very animated Sabina Ellis and gang onstage to usher in the new venue.

||| Live: Delta Spirit plays the Teragram Ballroom tonight.