Who knew that trumpets could be so exciting? This past Sunday, indie-folk band Beirut stopped by The Pageant to prove that they can in fact be. Beirut originally began as a solo project for Santa Fe-native Zach Condon. While spending time abroad in Europe, Condon discovered Balkan folk music and fell for its eclectic style. He teamed up with fellow folk band A Hawk and a Hacksaw to record Beirut’s first album, “Gulag Orkestar.” Since then, new band members have come and gone, but Beirut has stayed strong, releasing two albums, including their newest, “The Rip Tide.” Beirut is fresh off a summer of music festivals, including Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and this domestic tour is just capping off what is probably the best year for the band yet.

I missed the opener of the concert, because I had never heard of her, but I got there just in time for the beginning of Beirut’s set. The stage decorations were pretty simple, with lights strung overhead that lent the atmosphere of a café in Paris’ Montmartre district or in Vienna, Austria, to the stage. Beirut’s set lasted about an hour and 20 minutes, with two (!!!) encores. Every musician was on double duty, with Condon playing both the ukulele and the trumpet. His band mates played instruments as varied as the sousaphone, the accordion, the trombone, the piano, the bass, the melodica and the cello. They played songs from all three of Beirut’s full-length albums and some of its EPs as well, with highlights including “Postcards from Italy,” “Santa Fe” and “Forks and Knives.”

The biggest cheers of the night were not even for Beirut’s most popular song, “Nantes;” rather, they came during the second encore when Condon and bandmate Kelly united for an epic trumpet duel. Beirut has proven time and time again that there really is nothing like live music. Recordings of the impeccable harmonies of their horn section do them no justice. It has to be heard to be experienced, so the next time Beirut is in town (and it should be soon, as Condon apparently has relatives in the St. Louis area), you should be first in line.