Madison concertgoers slipped into their "new shoes" Friday night to watch Scotland's latest pop/rock prince Paolo Nutini's performance at the Barrymore Theatre.

The crowd — which consisted mostly of young females and their boyfriends who were clearly forcefully dragged to the show — crowded the stage in anticipation of 20-year-old Nutini.

Yet, before their dreams could come true, piano-playing Jon McLaughlin set the mood with a few tunes from his band. Although some would think Billy Joel's "Piano Man" would be an odd song for a relatively new face to cover, let alone open with, the fans didn't seem to mind as they enthusiastically sang along to the ’70s hit. Certainly, McLaughlin knew a thing or two about plucking out a jam on the keyboard, and he made sure the audience was well aware of that.

Canadian-born second act, Serena Ryder, also won over the crowd with a few jazzy, soulful numbers. Although her songs were seductively bluesy, Ryder performed them with ease.

Finally, running onto the stage and humbly saluting the crowd, Nutuni approached his mic and began his set with "Alloway Grove," sharing with the young females in the crowd that "However much you use me baby/ Come on and use me some more."

The band then quickly transitioned into the biggest hit of Nutini's short career, the crowd favorite "New Shoes."

From the sound of the high shrieks and the mob of dancing bodies, this was a smart choice for his second number. It was just a shame that the energy couldn't carrythrough the rest of the performance.

Between songs, Nutini also attempted to chat with the crowd, but unbeknownst to him, no one could decipher what he said between the combination of his thick Scottish accent and the roar of screaming fans. But the ladies didn't seem to care, as they all seemed much more concerned with staring at Nutini rather than at anything that came out of his mouth.

Although the highlights of the night were indeed his few upbeat hits, the general mood of the show was less than fanatical, with several slow, romantic numbers filling the theater, including "Loving You" and "Million Faces."

This mellow atmosphere, especially toward the beginning of the night, could also partially be attributed to the young girls in the crowd swaying back and forth to the music with their beaus' arms wrapped dutifully around them.

Nutini slowed things down even more for his ballad describing his homesickness after moving to London to make it big, complaining that "these streets have too many names for me." Or was he pondering the navigation of his tour bus around Capitol Square? It's okay, Paolo. Like the rest of us — and like you said — you'll "get used to it eventually."

As it would be apparent by looking at Nutini's rock star résumé, or lack thereof, he seemed rather timid on stage, as if new to the concept of groupies. But as the show moved along, Nutini seemed to loosen up and enjoy his time on stage as much as the audience did.

While "New Shoes" may have been the favorite with Friday's crowd, "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" was a close second, as the night climaxed with this seductive, upbeat tune. With that, Nutini fled the stage, but the crowd wouldn't have it.

A few minutes after Nutini's faux first goodbye and after a deafening scream for more, he returned to play three more jams, including his "Funky Cigarette," a concept most definitely as foreign as Nutini himself to the college kids in the audience.

Hopefully with age and experience, Nutini will sharpen his performance the next time he plays in Madison. And next time he is here, maybe Nutini will be old enough to go bar hopping down State Street with the rest of us after his show.