It was a couples’ night at the Majestic Saturday. Hand-holding pairs filled the upper mezzanine of the theater, a uniformly alternative-looking group saturated with knitted beanie caps, wayfarer eyeglasses and irresponsibly large gauge earrings. The audience contained a surprisingly small student demographic, with the average age of attendees hovering in the low 30s, all waiting with anticipation for headliner José González.

The venue was silent and concertgoers sat placidly with a faint air of disinterest as Icelandic opener Ólöf Arnalds serenaded the sold-out house to minimal reaction. Arnalds’ acoustic melodies were gentle and pleasing, but her strikingly harsh vocals distracted from the instrumental talent.

Whether through a maladjusted sound system or malicious larynx, her voice carried painful levels of treble and wavered unexpectedly, overpowering her guitar playing with an unsettling tone that sounded rather like a human theremin.

Arnalds’ comments between songs prompted drunken hoots from perhaps a dozen individuals out of an audience of hundreds, suggesting the surprisingly dedicated applause generated between songs was due to this vocal minority rather than audience-wide enjoyment.

Regardless, Arnalds seemed genuinely grateful for the performance opportunity and enjoyed herself onstage. Unfortunately, Arnalds’ live performance still suffered notably from of the upsetting tonal imbalance.

Around 10 p.m., González and his merry posse of musical accompaniment quietly slipped onstage to tremendous applause. Audience enthusiasm was drastically disproportionate to the theatrical bravado with which González entered, suggesting that many concertgoers were longtime fans familiar enough with his work to understand how his entrance fit with his musical style and demeanor.

With disheveled hair, black sneakers, loose trousers and a fairly conservative button-up shirt, González opened with tracks from his latest album, Vestiges & Claws, to great excitement from the audience.

With eyes half-closed and spidery fingers gently playing the acoustic guitar strung around his neck, González’s stage presence had an almost sleepy element that matched the understated tone of his music.

González’s trademark soft vocals accompanied by a gentle, folksy guitar accompaniment translated astoundingly well to a live performance. Artists who rely on this mellow element can often abandon their signature sound in the face of a bad sound system or to match the energy of a crowd. However, González kept composure, and as a result, delivered a performance exceeding his studio quality. Live performance gave his melancholic, calm sound a new sense of determination and emotional potency.

Meanwhile the backup band drew attention to musical aspects unheard or understated in González’ studio work, such as clarinet and bell accompaniments, and more obvious and powerful harmonizations during choruses. For a small section of the show the backup band left and González remained onstage alone, a point at which his talent as a musician became exceedingly clear.

The Majestic’s sound system emphasized the deeper guitar notes and reverb, with stronger bass that helped to make his music more assertive and engaging. He abandoned studio timidity and presented a new, more determined side of himself, who shined both as a singer as well as a guitarist.

Through the performance as well as an enthusiastic encore, the audience stood in still silence – this was the result of reverence, not apathy, as made clear by the sudden eruption into raucous applause and cheers between González’ tracks.

By the end of the night, González’ ability as a musician and performer stood unquestioned. His concert brought a new and welcome tone of emotional determination and tonal strength, pleasing the grateful, receptive audience.