Last Wednesday, legendary comedy rockers Tenacious D stopped by the House of Blues to rock the socks off of Boston fans. They were joined by the lesser known but equally talented country Americana duo, Wynchester.

Made up of Tenacious D guitarist John Konesky and Kyle Gass Band vocalist Mike Bray, Wynchester had the skill and the know-how to play to the unique crowd of comedians, bikers, and metalheads. Walking on to a minimally decorated stage (just a pair of stools, microphones, and guitars), the duo initially felt like a major departure from the lavish theatrics soon to come, but they managed to surprise listeners with their sharp wit, strong musicianship, and solid setlist. Highlights from their performance included two blindingly fast acoustic covers of The Commodores’ “Easy” and of Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark,” which helped to get the crowd going and ground the rest of their otherwise unknown set.

Dealing in trucks, beer, and cowboys, Wynchester’s originals like “Casa Coyote” and “High Desert Rambler” played off of stereotypical country themes, while at the same time poking fun at the genre’s often hyper-masculine lyrics. Prefaced by a hearty “hee-yah!,” Konesky introduced “Bush Blaster” as a song about a man: “from the bush…who prefers Busch beer…has an apartment on Bush Avenue…and likely voted for Bush–––in a 1989 reader’s poll.” With its mixture of snarky and satirical lyrics sung by Bray and hand-cramping-fast guitar licks from Konesky, “Bush Blaster” embraced everything that Tenacious D fans love, making it clear that Wynchester’s opening slot was more than just a courtesy. It was damn-well deserved. But however successful Wynchester were in gaining the crowd’s approval, it was obvious that everyone was there for one thing: to see the greatest and best band in the world.

Touring in support of their recently released rock opera and accompanying hand-animated YouTube cinematic masterpiece, Post-Apocalypto, Tenacious D dedicated first half of their show to a complete playthrough of their new album. Performing from behind a semi-transparent movie screen, the band completely immersed the crowd in their epic journey to save the human race as they ventured into space, battled the monstrous Kracka-Lacka-Ding-Dong, took on an army of nazi and Klan minions at the White House, and returned the fabled Crystal of Gilgamesh to the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Once the world had been saved, and the curtain rose up, and the D strutted out for the “greatest hits” portion of the show.

With a burly grey beard and a big round belly apiece, Jack Black and Kyle Gass took center stage as they kicked things off with “Rize of the Fenix,” receiving a roar of approval from the crowd. For the rest of the night, the band played hit after hit, with each and every one of the sold-out venue’s diehard fans singing along to classics like “Kickapoo,” “Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown),” and “Tribute.” But the D still had a few curveballs up their sleeve. Inserting one of their trademark comedy-bits into the set, the D pondered over the best genre of music, but took a left turn as they explored the world of jazz with “Simply Jazz” before segwaying into “The Metal.”

After ending their set with “Double Team” and an abridged cover of Boston’s “More Than A Feeling,” the D returned for just one song, an encore performance of “Fuck Her Gently,” which Black dedicated to the ladies but sang to the dudes. By the end of their nearly two hour performance, the D had brought humanity back from the brink of destruction and fought the devil, but their work wasn’t done yet. Before taking a bow and leaving the stage for good, Black urged everyone in the crowd to vote in the following day’s Midterm Elections, and not to miss their chance to save the world.

See below for photos from the show (in order: Tenacious D and Wynchester):