SAN FRANCISCO — Where should the conversation start about “The 1975 At Their Very Best,” the U.K. band’s tour that stopped at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Tuesday night? Is it that the two-act production was equal parts concert and performance art, staged inside a meticulously constructed house and “outside it,” which allowed Matty Healy and co. to perform under a flickering streetlamp and even on the roof?

Is it that Healy was chain-smoking cigarettes and swigging from a flask while in character during act 1 as well as out of it in act 2? Or that he simulated pleasuring himself in the middle of the show, or got physically and fully sucked into a television in this set? (At least there was no eating of raw meat here). Perhaps it’s how, after disappearing into the TV, a loud knock on the “door” led to none other than Jack Antonoff appearing on-stage, playing Bleachers’ “Rollercoaster” backed only by a saxophonist in the middle of The 1975 concert? I’d love to know what the band’s fans went home talking about.

All these planned events could have overshadowed the actual music being performed. But no, the songs were expertly executed by The 1975 (which includes guitarist Adam Hann, drummer George Daniel and bassist Ross MacDonald) and several backing musicians who were in-sync from start to finish. The first set consisted mainly of songs from new album Being Funny In a Foreign Language and a second set that was mostly hits from throughout the band’s growing catalog—broken up by that stream of absurdity that also included Healy unbuttoning his shirt, doing about 20 pushups while watching TV and having a conversation with the crowd that was more muddled the farther out you got from the stage.

The first set was especially intriguing—though less of a concert and full of songs that many in the audience did not appear to know by heart. The sound of crickets chirping filled the speakers. The streetlamp flicked on, and the band members walked into the scene one by one, keeping busy with turning on the many lamps in this gleaming white house of many rooms and a spiral staircase. The stage was split into two levels, and it appeared as though the band could have added even more detail to the production, if not for the Bill Graham ceiling getting in the way (The 1975 is playing arenas and amphitheaters on this tour, too). The details in the staging were marvelous, with antique furniture and a bookshelf completely full with books. Throughout the evening, the stage was lit up in shades of creams, burnt orange, grays and browns.

Healy was the last enter but the first to begin playing. He stretched, took a seat at the piano and launched into “The 1975 (Being Funny in a Foreign Language)” while smoking his first cigarette. Eventually the rest of band joined in. That was followed by a stream of upbeat new tunes: “Looking for Somebody (to Love),” “Happiness,” “Part of the Band,” “Oh Caroline” and “I’m in Love With You.” Of course, the new album is not a happy one, which is probably why Healy spent most of the time slinking around the stage sucking on either a cigarette or his flask.

After the bluesy “All I Need to Hear,” the entire band joined Healy “upstairs” for the peppy “Roadkill,” from Notes on a Conditional Form, and “fallingforyou,” from EP IV. The latter was the evening’s first musical highlight, with the sold-out room singing along to the falsetto refrain of the song: “I think I’m fallin’/ Fallin’ for you.”

That’s when Healy climbed a ladder up to the roof of this faux house, singing using AutoTune on “I Like America & America Likes Me,” from A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. The next musical highlight (pretty much everything else was noteworthy about this show) came as Healy harmonized with a backup singer on “About You.” Not only was it pretty, but it was a good choice for a frequent talker to invite someone else’s voice into the conversation. Other band members joined in on more beautiful harmonies on the melancholic “When We Are Together.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for my best friends,” Healy said before introducing the rest of the musicians on stage, who then walked off, leaving him alone to finish the song on piano. “I struggle with what to do when I’m by myself,” he said, before shouting at some in the audience to “shut the fuck up” and adding that he was breaking character. If this was strictly a theater production, he’d get dinged here for the tangential flow of things.

Band members returned in white lab coats as he remained on stage. They wheeled out a wall of TVs that precipitated the mid-show’s climax. He sat on a couch as Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 played. Then he removed his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt, ran a hand across his chest, down, down, over his crotch and finally into his pants. After a few seconds of this, he wandered over to the wall of TVs and started doing pushups before crawling into  one of the TV. Yes, that happened. The TV that had just been playing video was actually hollowed out—a brilliant optical illusion.

After the stage was free of people… that’s when the loud knock signaled Antonoff’s entrance. (At the previous show in L.A., it was Phoebe Bridgers providing the halftime entertainment). Antonoff, looking surprised to be invited to this party, was led through the house before arriving on stage. Playing an acoustic guitar and backed by a saxophonist, he ran through his own songs, “All My Heroes,” “Rollercoaster” and “Don’t Go Dark.” It seemed both random and appropriate—again, a great decision to invite another voice.

After Antonoff left, The 1975 returned, this time dressed in all black, for the second half of the set. The audience seemed much more into the older songs that fans knew by heart. The band breezed through silky songs like “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know),” “Me & You Together Song” and “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You).”

“Everyone clap for me!” Healy demanded before “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME.”

Afterward, someone threw a large bra onto the stage.

“This is for boobs; huge fuckin’ boobs,” Healy explained. He then hopped into the front row to greet excited fans before continuing the show with “Paris,” “Robbers” (which ended with him on his knees, singing as thousands screamed the words back to him), “Somebody Else,” “Sex,” and a handful of other fan favorites.

Kansas City band BlackStarKids impressed in their opening slot at Tuesday’s concert. The talented quintet, which combines hip-hop with rock, punk and dance music, played songs from their various records, all released since 2019, including September’s CYBERKISS*.

Core members Deiondre, Babe Gabe and Tyfaizon each had their own unique visual aesthetic and performance style. They were backed by a drummer and DJ, and together they were a tornado on stage. The songs ranged from hip-hop-centric with dual rapping attacks on “HOW TO SELF DESTRUCT*” and “JIMMY NEUTRON,” and more melodic and garage-rock-influenced “FRANKIE MUNIZ” and “PALS.”

“BOYCOTT” had the whole room hopping along, and on set closer “CARDIGAN,” Babe Gabe’s dancing was infectious.