By: Charlie Schomaker

Courtney Barnett came to The Sylvee in Madison on Friday May 15th, performing for a large and very enthusiastic crowd.

Opening act, Truman Sinclair – like Courtney, a solo singer/songwriter with a backing band – delivered a spirited and crowd-friendly set of rootsy Alt Folk songs, throwing in some timely harmonica playing to drive it home.

Shortly after, Courtney and her band walked on-stage to thunderous applause. They were all business from the opening note, with Courtney simply saying a cheery “thank you” before launching into each new song.

Courtney and her band’s performance were tight,  showing the “seasoning” from lots of touring. Her set list was a nice mix of her newer music and old favorites, like “Avant Gardener”, “Depreston” and “Elevator Operator.”

For the encore, Courtney came out alone and performed a solo piece with her doing more gentle, nuanced guitar playing.  Shortly after, the band walked back on stage to thunderous applause and blew the doors off the place when they launched into the song that made her a star, and the song that put her on my musical radar ten years ago, “Pedestrian At Best.”

Considering the cost of concert tickets these days these days, this was one of the best “bang for your buck” shows I’ve seen in a while.