Maidens. Jens Lekman brought Maidens with him. Six of them to be semi-exact. They were his backing band, all dressed in virginal white. Couple that with Jens’ classy, European vibe and it was almost like a god and some angels had descended into Chicago for a few brief moments.

MP3: Jens Lekman - You Are The Light (By Which I Travel Into This And That)

Jens also had the right amount of between song chatter to let his charm shine through–somewhere between John Darnielle and Dan Bejar. He told us a story of how he pretended to be his lesbian friend Nina’s fiancee when they met her parents between verses in “A Postcard to Nina,” about a new song about the same.

MP3: Jens Lekman - A Sweet Summer Night On Hammer Hill

Without a doubt, Jens was a special treat and one of the best performances of the festival. Everyone around me was clapping, singing, bomp-a-bomping, and just generally enjoying themselves. My hat’s off to you, Jens.