God bless Dan Bern. Touring on his Live in New York album (on the heels of last year’s Live in Los Angeles release), the folk-leaning Dylan-esque singer-songwriter played all the hits at his solo show at the Tractor Friday night, spanning his discography. So the audience was treated to golden oldies like “God Said No” and “Jerusalem,” which starts at the four-minute mark in the video above. Dan also delivered his portrait of celebrity in “Tiger Woods” (bravely without amended lyrics) and alternative universe matchmaking in “Marilyn,” as well as a few covers, including the Johnny Cash novelty track “One Piece at a Time.”

Dan of course brought his trademark charm and charisma, with plenty of chit-chat and banter from the stage between songs–as a performer, he never fails to connect with an audience. It was an early show, with opening troubadour Ari Hest kicking things off at 6 p.m. But it doesn’t matter that you’re in a dark club while the sun’s still shining when you’ve got Dan Bern doing “The Fifth Beatle,” his take on the Fab Four in search of a new bandmate, in which they audition everyone from Kurt Cobain to Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, and Dan dutifully doles out the requisite impersonations of all of the above. There is no such thing as too early for a joyful performance like that.