Staff Editor on October 7th, 2018

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The riffs — on guitar and in lyrics — came fast and furious Friday night as Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett gave an exhilarating concert at the Greek Theatre in support of her latest album “Tell Me How You Really Feel.”

Among the highlights were the opener “Hopefulness,” the first song on the new album; the rapturously verbose “Avant Gardener” (from 2013’s “The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas); and concert closer “Pedestrian at Best” from her 2015 debut. “Hopefulness” resonated with the crowd immediately, considering current events: “You know what they say / No one is born to hate / We learn it somewhere along the way / Take your broken heart / Turn it into art / Can’t take it with you / Can’t take it with you,” Barnett sang.

Katie Crutchfield, who as Waxahatchee opened the night, joined Barnett for the cover of Elyse Weinberg’s “Houses,” and the headliner also covered “Everything Is Free” by Gillian Welch.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks preceded Barnett, with Kim Gordon guesting on their collaboration “Refute.”

Photos by Samantha Saturday