Vancouver beat box balladeer and spoken-word iconoclast C.R. Avery performed to a sellout crowd at the Rio Theatre on Broadway last Friday. Joined by a string quartet and gospel trio The Sojourners, Avery delivered a seamless performance in what the keytar-wielding boho blues poet called “an evening of three vignettes”–– though it seemed like a thousand.

“I’m nervous as all hell,” the local legend told the 400-strong crowd when he took to the stage. But whatever nerves may have been tormenting him were soon eliminated with a raucous, 12-bar blues version of “Commercial Drive” from 2006’s Chainsmoking Blues. As Avery pounded the keys of a red, '70s keyboard, the crowd clapped along from the opening line straight through to the song’s call-and-response conclusion.

Guitarist/conductor Matt Rogers offered up a seasoning of tasty licks while providing Neil Young Harvest-era drum beats with his feet. With rich, vibrant harmonies, The Sojourners belted out a crowd-pleasing version of Marvin Sease’s “Clean Up What I Messed Up”.

Much like his dyed-blonde hair, C.R. Avery’s roots are growing in. From a riled-up, beatbox-infused rendition of Leadbelly’s “Sylvie” to the spinetingling rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Blind Willie McTell”, his influences have been funnelled perfectly without losing a drop in the process.

The set had plenty of original material and despite most of it being new and previously unheard, that unfamiliarity didn’t matter. The most powerful numbers were a 10-minute long spoken-word piece called “Pierre Elliott Trudeau”, and a beatbox ballad from his latest album, Magic Hour Sailor Songs, entitled “The Boxer Who Just Returned From London”.

At times, you could have heard a pin drop, save for the whir of an air conditioner filtering the popcorn aroma and the lone fan who shouted “My girlfriend loves your pants!” to which Avery responded, “Yeah, but she’s from Burnaby.”

Aside from the occasional jig-inducing ditty or the lilting hair-raising sound of strings, the crowd barely moved until the end of the show when they all rose to give a standing ovation. And Avery damn well deserved it.