A refined yet gracious crowd was treated to a riveting folk-country-rock set last Saturday night at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in downtown Providence. Neko Case, a prominent figure in American/Canadian alternative-country (and member of indie band The New Pornographers), graced the stage with her accompanying band of characters and instruments as well as openers Joey and John from Calexico. Just around 9:00PM, Neko scooted on stage and entertained the patient audience with a healthy dose of rock-and-roll, country twang and a diverse set of instruments. Although her voice is always gorgeous and booming, and her gestures adorable and genuine, the band members surrounding her really boosted up the performance. The several variations of guitars and bass (6-string, 12-string, stand-up, etc.) and back-up vocals were a nice touch, but what really shone was the lap pedal steel and banjo-picking moments. In addition, the stage set up wasn’t all that bad either, with Providence’s very own RISD alum’s handiwork adorning it and intriguing collages of video playing on the projection. All the elements worked together to create a haunting yet fun sound and atmosphere, one that the attendees no doubt would love to see again. The guys from Calexico were lovely as well, playing a strong if short set with talented guitar-picking and some of the best drumming on the scene.