Holiday carolers would probably refer to the weather outside as “frightful.” (I’d refer to it as…something else.) Regardless, with the sudden drop in temperature, warmer comforts are in high demand. So, as some people chose to warm up with space heaters and hot chocolate, Andrew Bird worked on warming up the Sixth & I Synagogue with his Gezelligheid performance. “Gezelligheid” which loosely translates from Dutch to “cozy,” accurately represents Bird’s goal with the performance: an intimate affair that let him loosen up and let the audience settle down.

Bird never came across like a typical pop musician. His primary instrument is the violin and his songs have more than a little bit of jazz, classical and even musical theater influences. Gezelligheid allowed him to, as he put it, “give himself a longer leash and not pack it all into cute little pop songs.” While he did plop in a few of those cute little pop songs (“Why?” and “Plasticities”) to keep the audience’s interest, he focused on a lot of new material, some of which may never see the light of day in recorded format.