Lenker makes herself heard

At first glance, Adrianne Lenker may not have seemed like the most dynamic performer. Staying seated for most of the 100-minute show could have sucked the energy out of the room for the singer-songwriter's.

However, that was far from the case in an engaging, warm, at times low-key set at the first of two sold-out shows.

If looking for diversity, Lenker had it. At times, Lenker occupied the stage by herself with a five-song segment. For a large portion of the evening, she was accompanied by a pianist, Nick Hakim, and fiddle player, Josefin Runsteen from Sweden, who also contributed many warm backing vocals. The backing players added a lot of color to the music, particularly Runsteen.

Lenker also showed herself to be a mighty fine acoustic guitarist. She didn't need to overwhelm, but her clean playing stood out in maintaining the mood.

That diversity would extend to the song selection as well. Lenker, of course, a good portion of her own material, while also offering six songs from her other musical project, indie folk band Big Thief.

What especially stood out was Lenker's songwriting. It is sharp, to the point and at times heavy. What better to start off the night than "Real House" about pivotal moments in her life, like laughing with her mother when Lenker was 14 and having an operation and their dog dying. Spare, sometimes raw with imagery and feeling.

Lenker also brought out musical friend Mary Elizabeth Remington, dueting on the latter's "Dresser Hill." About the least successful song of the night was Remington's solo take on one of her own songs as her singing was subpar.

About the only negative for Lenker was that she took a while many times to tune her guitar. Fortunately, it didn't dissipate the good will and vibe set by Lenker for the rest of the night.

Lenker came off as a bit of awkward personality, seemingly not totally comfortable being on stage. As she said herself, she was "not nearly as good" at articulating her thoughts as she was a musician. Yet, it was also endearing as she offered a number of humorous comments throughout, seemingly surprised at herself too before often letting out a chuckle. In reality, Lenker was very down-to-earth, honest performer.

So much so that instead of plugging her own merch as so many artists do, Lenker – by then wearing a knitted winter hat – pushed the headgear that was created by her grandmother. Lenker made it clear that all proceeds were going to her grandmother, resulting in a good laugh from the sold-out crowd.

This was a night of gentle, heartfelt music that showed you don't have to go big to make yourself heard.