BY  ZACHARY HERRMANN

When M. Ward took the stage last Saturday night at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, he looked like a prophet in jeans. With a harmonic strapped around his neck, frizzy Bob Dylan curls and an acoustic guitar, the artist quickly embraced his religious surroundings. An early set cover of "Prodigal Son" felt particularly appropriate given the flanking inscriptions written on the wall: "Remember Ye the Law of Moses" and "Faith in God is Happiness."

In case you haven't noticed, Ward holds a lot of reverence toward his influences. It's not even about who he borrows from so much as how he chooses to incorporate all the bits he's picked up over the years. John Fahey seems to be his patron saint, but Saturday, Ward also paid his respects to David Bowie, Buddy Holly and Daniel Johnston.

At one point or another, Ward has recorded all of these covers in the studio (most recently, Holly's "Rave On" appeared on Ward's recent LP, Hold Time). But there's nothing obligatory or plainly dutiful in his renditions. He treats each song as if he had penned it.

Filtered through Ward's smoky vocals, "Rave On" sounded infinitely more like any number of Ward songs than one of Holly's. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ward's songbook already feels built to last against time.

After appearing on Post-War less than three years ago, "Post-War" and "Poison Cup" came off like would-be classics from a barely indistinguishable era. The former felt wistfully relevant as Ward sang, "Say the money just ain't what it used to be/ Man how we used to tear apart this town." Sans string accompaniment, "Poison Cup" got a harder edge as the band climaxed all too soon.

Early sound issues aside - the first full band number, "Epistemology," could have been performed from inside a washing machine or dryer - Ward's backing band were almost too tight. Hearing how the group completely tore into a rollicking, electric rendition of Fahey's "Bean Vine Blues 2," it was a bit of a shame Ward didn't unhinge and loosen up a little more.

On album, the extent of Ward's musical virtuosity doesn't always come through. The song craft comes first, which is all well and good, but Ward has chops like you could never believe from listening to his studio work. There were flashes of brilliance throughout Saturday night, enough to make you wish Ward would risk a little self-indulgence every now and then.  

He showed no need for accompaniment on "Duet for Guitars 3," hunching over to play holy murder all over his instrument. His furious finger picking (the guy really does love his Fahey) rang out in the sanctuary, drowning out the slight hiss of the second rate PA system.   

The 70-minute set may have left everyone a little wanting (10 more minutes would have been perfect), but Ward's energy and showmanship is beyond reproach. With all the Biblical imagery floating around the synagogue, the show could have very easily taken on a self-serious (yawn) tone. Thankfully, Ward isn't above smiling and having a little fun.

The audience seemed to find more to laugh about in Johnston's self-deprecating phrasings than Ward's witty intro to his first encore, "Story of an Artist," but it still made for a lovely moment.

"You know, it's Oscar season, so it's the time of year when you think of artists like Daniel Johnston," Ward said, before dedicating the song to everyone watching the Academy Awards Sunday night. Along with his She & Him cover, "Change is Hard," it was one of the few moments during the show where Ward received anything more than the steady punctuation of applause.    

Though the crowd looked a little fidgety and stupefied during the Vivian Girls' deliciously raucous opening set - iPhones and Blackberrys occasionally lit up a few audience faces - Ward commanded nothing less than a faithful hushed devotion from his audience. There wasn't a chitter or chatter to be heard.

One would have expected some more foot stomps and hand claps here and there. After all, it was only a rock concert, not a religious service.

Set list:

1) Fuel for Fire

2) One Hundred Million Years

3) Prodigal Son (Rev. Robert Wilkins)

4) Let's Dance (David Bowie)

5) Duet for Guitars 3

6) Lullaby + Exile

7) Epistemology

8) Chinese Translation

9) Fisher of Men

10) Bean Vine Blues 2 (John Fahey)

11) Post-War

12) Poison Cup

13) Undertaker

14) Change is Hard (She & Him)

15) Rave On (Buddy Holly)

16) Never Had Nobody Like You

17) To Save Me

18) Story of an Artist (Daniel Johnston)

19) Magic Trick

[Photos Credit: Zachary Herrmann]