People attending Sunday’s sold-out The New Pornographers show at the State Theatre may have enjoyed the promise of general admission in a seated venue, but they also had to endure the disappointment of Neko Case being sick and subsequently sub par.

The New Pornographers are touring with special guest Okkervil River, but the Austin, Texas, band surprisingly didn’t please the indie-rock crowd. The band’s drawn out lines and phrasing threw the audience off and people grumbled that the songs were repetitive and boring. This band, which is often described as “literary indie-rock,” takes some getting used to, and the majority of the crowd wasn’t willing to put in the effort.

Toward the end of the hour-long set, in the middle of a song, a heckler in the balcony yelled, “You suck,” which elicited a few chuckles but largely resulted in the loudest cheers for the band of the night.

Despite the heckling, Okkervil River kept up a level of energy that should be admired. Lead singer Will Sheff ran around the stage, getting up in the other musicians’ faces, singing into others’ microphones and knocking down a mic stand or two. Despite not having a microphone of his own, drummer Travis Nelsen sang along with every song and looked like he was having the time of his life, which is always a plus while watching a live show. Whether listeners liked the music or not, Okkervil River at least got the crowd moving.

After an obnoxiously long set change, The New Pornographers appeared and launched straight into a lackluster first three songs.

Case, the lead female vocalist, particularly stood out as subdued, with her usually strong, piercing vocals just a little off. The mystery was cleared up, however, when lead singer A.C. Newman explained that Case was sick and told the audience to cheer even harder if the songs weren’t that good because of it. The crowd was happy to oblige.

After this promising banter with the crowd and a few energetic starts, both the band and the crowd lapsed back into monotony.

The bottom level of the two-story theater was crowded with people who had rushed the stage, but, with the exception of 20 or 30 people, the audience was eerily still for a live concert — but then again, it was an indie show.

The music was good — including fan favorites like “The Bleeding Heart Show,” “Sing Me Spanish Techno” and “The Laws Have Changed” — but the performance was unenergetic. Ithaca is relatively close to the beginning of The New Pornographers’ 20-stop tour, and it showed. The band flowed well when it transitioned straight from one song into the next, or when Newman or Case addressed the crowd, but more than once the band milled around the stage for minutes at a time, like one of those awkward, too long pauses in a conversation.

At times, these pauses made the show seem more like a rehearsal than a performance.

As the night wore on Newman grew more energetic, but Case noticeably declined, passing the bulk of the female vocal legwork to keyboardist Kathryn Calder. It was a nice change, though. Calder risks getting pushed into the background as Case, who has lately been busy with her solo career, tours with the group again.

A short two-song encore, bringing the night’s total to about 20 songs, generated one of the most high-energy moments of the night with a cover of “Don’t Bring Me Down.” Case managed to rustle up a second wind and sang for both “Don’t Bring Me Down” and the last song, “The Slow Descent into Alcoholism.”

Despite a solid enough night of music, and forgiving Case’s illness, The New Pornographers is still a better summer-car-ride-with-the-windows-down band than a live performance group — there just wasn’t enough energy. Indie kids should give Okkervil River another chance; they’re a better live band.