There was a gentleness to last night’s Japanese Breakfast show at the Salt Shed. The sold-out concert, which was the first of a two-night set, was a perfect return to the city for the popular indie rock group. The calm and cool of the band permeated through the venue, making for a comfortable and happy evening of largely new tunes.

That’s not to say Japanese Breakfast’s music is not hard-hitting. But more often than not, their songs have a way of washing over the listener rather than banging them over the head with sound. Watching frontwoman Michelle Zauner open was a divine and lovely experience.

The show began with “Paprika,” the opening track of the band’s 2021 album “Jubilee.” It is a fitting song. The group’s previous two albums, “Psychopomp” and “Soft Sounds from Another Planet,” traverse the emotional landscape of mourning and healing. But “Jubilee” is a bubbling and joyful achievement, complete with lush, layered arrangements and a grand narrative arc about what comes next. “Paprika” is not a bombastic tune, but it is one that fuels listeners — and even Zauner — to get their bodies moving.

It makes sense then that Zauner jumped and danced around the stage without her guitar or piano for the first two tracks of the night. Wearing a cream-colored, crocheted two-piece outfit with childlike pom-pom attachments and her hair in braided pigtails, Zauner captivated the audience from the first few notes.

“Be Sweet,” the second track off of “Jubilee” and the second song of the evening, inspired just as much fervor, with many audience members closest to the stage dancing along to the winsome tune.

By the end of that track, Zauner picked up one of the multiple guitars she would play throughout the evening. She is a performer assured of her skills and flow, easily jumping back and forth between instruments (including the piano) and a more free-flowing and loose stage performance. For the overall show, this works, giving Zauner time to rightfully revel in her hard-earned status as an author, intellectual and rock star in equal measure.

“Chicago, thank you so much. This is amazing,” Zauner said before diving into “Kokomo, IN” from “Jubilee.” “I feel like this has always been a special town for us.”

And indeed, this was a sentiment shared with the audience, many of whom seemed to swoon with each new song. This was especially evident with a song like “Boyish,” a Little Big League cover from Japanese Breakfast’s second album, which made a few audience members shout in joy as the first few notes of the track’s signature guitar began to play. The song, which is more lyrically despondent than hopeful, seemed to tap into something profound for Sunday’s enamored audience. If the crowd had not been swayed by the poignant punch of Zauner’s performance so far, they certainly were by the time this track played.

Later, they performed another cover — Wilco’s “Jesus, Etc.” — and described the group as their “favorite Chicago band.” It was a fitting inclusion aligned with the breadth of Zauner’s songwriting and received uproarious applause from the audience.

Zauner’s voice has a clear and meditative quality. To me, the tone is quite perfect, occasionally channeling the spirit of Dolores O’Riordan, but doing something distinctly and uniquely her own. It pairs perfectly with Zauner’s commanding presence on the stage and the group’s overall execution of their tracks. Many of the songs from “Jubilee,” for example, laced in pleasant synths, find a more propulsive yet dreamy groove in the full live setting (which includes horns, violin and percussion). It’s something the audience loves, especially on tracks like the endearing “Slide Tackle.”

“This one’s for dancing,” Zauner said before diving, dipping and dashing into the track. A celebratory shower of confetti soon rained down.

“It’s been a difficult month for me and music has a way of knowing that,” Zauner later revealed to the audience. Most would have no idea based on the charm and the enthusiasm she imbued throughout the show. Reflecting on her feelings, she called Chicago a comforting city, one that makes her “feel very at home.”

“We love you so much,” Zauner said, a feeling that was certainly shared that night.

Britt Julious is a freelance critic.