Recap Daniel Johnston at the Metro   

One can expect a few things from a Daniel Johnston concert: a huge crowd of people who know all the words to his early '80s lo-fi folk tapes; the distinct possibility that he'll do something crazy; and a format that includes either him and his guitar, him singing while someone accompanies him on an acoustic guitar, or an electric set with a band. His show at the Metro on Saturday included a healthy mix of all three, and none of them disappointed.

Johnston used makeshift tape recorders to create early tapes that were fuzzy but with a lo-fi production that complemented Johnston's clever, eerie lyrics and DIY album art. At the Metro, his songs should have been much crisper than the sound on those old tapes, but his first four songs sounded almost as if they were coming out of Johnston's old tape machine.

He played demure songs like "There Is A Sense Of Humour Way Beyond Friendship" and "Mask" on a tiny brown electric guitar. While he stared down at his music stand for the lyrics, his mouth hovered just below the microphone. Since he was so focused on looking down at the binder, his voice was completely muddled and his guitar sounded clunky. Despite how that all might sound, it was actually perfect—a faithful recreation of that fuzzy sound.

Johnston's old friend Brett Hartenbach then came out to finger-pick some songs with his acoustic guitar, replacing the warm muddiness with precision. This also gave Daniel time to fix the microphone, making the rest of the set exponentially more polished, which was a bit disappointing but still afforded a chance to listen carefully to Johnston's shaky, delicate renditions of "Silly Love" and "Life In Vain." He also led the crowd in a loud, shouting rendition of The Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," before he came back with a full band.

Accompanying Johnston for the obligatory electric set at the end was his opening act, Tiny Masters Of Today. The drone-rockers started with "Mountain Top," their bombastic guitars and percussion contrasting Johnston's soft voice. He turned to the band at the end of the song and asked, "What's the name of the band?" After multiple attempts to understand the band and audience's answers, Johnston shrugged, "They won't tell me." It was a scene so awkward it could've been in The Office.

Incomprehensible name aside, Tiny Masters proved to be an excellent backing band on songs like "Rock 'N' Roll/EGA" and "Speeding Motorcycle," but they seemed superfluous for Johnston's classic "Casper The Friendly Ghost." It was pretty obvious that the band didn't rehearse much with Johnston, with Tiny Masters looking at one another throughout the songs to assure they were all on the same page.

Johnston commanded the crowd, getting a rousing response for merely asking, "How about a Diet Coke?" before taking a swig or for telling an odd suicide joke. Hartenbach joined him back on stage for the encore, Johnston's parting Christmas gift to the crowd, " "True Love Will Find You In The End." The sound may not have been as murky as those first four songs, but the sharper version put a smile on the majority of the crowd's faces, a perfect positive note to walk out on for a Saturday night.