The sun suddenly broke through the dreary sky early Saturday evening in Minneapolis, and that was probably the exact moment Zooey Deschanel showed up to soundcheck at First Avenue.
Just as she has lit up the screen in films such as "(500) Days of Summer" and "Almost Famous," the actress-turned-part-time-singer was a positively glowing presence Saturday night throughout the sold-out, 90-minute set by her stylish, retro twang-pop band She & Him.
Co-anchored by rootsy indie-rock hero M. Ward -- whose presence in this case is as modest as the "Him" moniker suggests -- Deschanel's musical vehicle came off like a smooth, top-down, hair-up ride in a cozy '70s-era convertible. It was as if she bottled up all the warm sunbeams and hippie-chic calm of her native Southern California and poured them over the audience.
Part Linda Ronstadt and part Toni Tennille (Captain & Tennille) in a modern hipster girl's sundress, Deschanel is not a versatile singer, but she does her poppy torch-singer thing well. She stuck to it with unwavering charm Saturday, from the lovestruck opener "I Was Made for You" to, well, the lovestruck encore cover of "Fools Rush In."
The concert definitely seemed too one-note at times, but at least the starlet didn't burden us with any tortured-sounding ballads or angry diatribes, as many actors with bands have done. Deschanel is newly married to Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and seems to lead quite the charmed life. Thus, gushing songs like "In the Sun" and "Home" sounded genuine and expressive coming from her.
"I'm doing well," she wittily chirped out of the blue mid-show, a flip on the usual "How you doing?" singer banter.
A little more variety was offered from Ward and the rest of the six-piece band, which included openers the Chapin Sisters on backup harmonies. They served up some dramatic Roy Orbison-style chamber-twang in "Thieves," some Phil Spector-style girl-group glory in "Take It Back" and the fun spin on NRBQ's "Riding in My Car." The coolly chosen cover of Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" also boasted a jazzy country vibe.
While he's the sonic whiz on She & Him's two albums ("Volume One" and "Volume Two"), Ward stays in the background on stage. One of the highlights of the show was the giddy version of "Magic Trick," from his 2006 album "Post-War," but Deschanel also took the lead in that song, armed with an electric ukulele.
The fact that many fans cheered the few times Ward got up to the microphone -- even for a little background bit in "You Really Got a Hold On Me" -- suggested they wanted more. Still, even standing in Deschanel's shadow must be a sunny, pleasant experience.
See She & Him's set list at startribune.com/artcetera. chrisr@startribune.com • 612-673-4658
