From the moment Foreign Born began their set, songs from their first full-length album On the Wing Now, feet began tapping and heads began bobbing. Matt Popieluch banged on the strings of his tiny acoustic guitar and engaged the crowd with powerful vocals that managed to be light and haunting at the same time.

The heart-pounding beat of “Letter of Inclusion” matched perfectly with Popieluch’s breathy repetition of the lyrics “I’ll wait for you.” With their vibrant and unfailing energy, Foreign Born were the perfect openers for the more subdued yet equally brilliant M. Ward.

From the opening guitar notes of “Chinese Translation” to the piano-accompanied “Rollercoaster,” Ward delivered a soulful performance. Besides his own songs like “Poison Cup” and “Requiem” from Post-War and “Vincent O’Brien” and “Sad, Sad Song” from Transfiguration of Vincent, Ward did a Daniel Johnston cover (“Story of an Artist”) and Leonard Cohen’s “The Old Revolution.”

Towards the end of the night, actress Zooey Deschanel joined the singer-songwriter for several tunes, including Ward’s “Magic Trick” and covers of “I Put a Spell on You,” “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Bring it on Home to Me.”