In our preview of Thursday’s City Arts Fest offerings, Josh wondered about the strange pairing of Swedish dance electro-pop queen Robyn and the “off-kilter” YACHT. Mystery solved: YACHT opened for Robyn because vocalist Claire Evans and Robyn look weirdly alike at first platinum blush, except that Robyn is shorter and her dance moves tend more towards the cutely militant (Claire’s tend towards the “woman in the grips of alien inspiration” end of things).

The Paramount isn’t my favorite venue for dancing (such high ceilings!), but something about Robyn’s Swedishness brought out a distinct old-theater-transformed-into-techno-party-people-revolution vibe. Here’s to Europe! Here’s to Robyn’s boxy “star-bag” shirt (as my boyfriend dubbed it), and to her glow-in-the-dark pinwheel stage decor, and to the second encore’s sing-along version of her 1997 hit “Show Me Love.”

Robyn was as adorable and confident as I’d hoped. Despite her mic cutting in and out, and what looked like an earpiece that refused to stay put in her ear, she used the energy of a theater filled with an inordinate number of excited fans to fuel what was a downright heartwarming, yet still interestingly gritty performance.

She performed most of Body Talk (notably skipping “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do”) along with several tracks from her first album; stand-outs included “Dancing On My Own,” “Call Your Girlfriend,” “Indestructible,” a kicked-up “Konichiwa, Bitches,” and her sultry, soulful reboot of “U Should Know Better.”

She’s only gotten better since the ’90s, and it’s clear she’s a grown-up making the music she wants to make. Don’t even think about telling her what to do.