The Hollywood Bowl seats roughly 17,680 people, and last night, every one of them were on their feet. Phoenix, Grizzly Bear, and Girls took the famous venue’s stage for a sold-out show kicking off their fall tour, and somehow topped the anticipation that such a show did promise.

Girls opened, and despite the pressure of introducing some modern legends, their show was solid. During the band’s bigger songs like “Lust for Life,” the crowd showed more recognition, and by the end of its show, it seemed pretty likely that Girls had gained a few hundred new fans.

Grizzly Bear followed with a shorter set than most fans would have liked, but a great one nonetheless. Sticking mostly to Veckatimist with a few older hits spliced here and there, the set list was well chosen, out shadowed only by its performance.

Chris Taylor’s croons on “Knife” showed what a human voice is really capable of. Violins and heavy builds caused the crowd to ultimately stop talking during sleepy hit “Ready, Able.” And Edward Droste’s welcoming presence was also the perfect vessel to introduce Leslie Feist to the stage, a surprise that got much of the relaxed crowd standing again. She hopped in on “Two Weeks,” and the crowd ate it up.

After the impressive openers, long bathroom lines, and a few glasses of BYOB wine, it was time for Phoenix. My group took bets on what the band would open with, and “Lisztomania” came through the speakers first (I win). As Thomas Mars belted, “This is show time,” the whole crowd knew it was true, but no one in attendance really knew what that meant they were in for.

The first third of the show progressed somewhat traditionally, featuring “Lasso,” “Long Distance Call,” and a lovely slowed down version of “Fences.” The band played a few older tunes as the crowd anticipated, each audience member waiting for his or her favorite song.

Suddenly, a white curtain dropped from the top of the stage, covering the stage. “Love like a Sunset, Pt. 1” came resounding from the silhouettes of the band that appeared on the sheet, and the entire Bowl was lit up with a growing arch. The curtain dropped when the song’s most anticipating builds began, and rainbow colored lights touched every surface of the stage’s backdrop.

When “Pt. 2” came to a close, a look around the crowd revealed unyielding attention from every set of eyes. It was this song that was pivotal in making each of those 17,680’s experience completely individual.

More songs were played, and despite the act they followed, none were anticlimactic. This may have been due to Mars’ ability to one-up himself, and the fact that he sang three songs from a stage in the middle of the audience, including a sincere, adorably bashful version of “Love For Granted” and a French tune we didn’t know, but appropriately swooned over. This part of the show had so much surprise behind it and so much feeling, many assumed it was the encore.

The band showed us it was just part of their previously scheduled stage program by returning to the stage with “If I Ever Feel Better,” and this worked its magic without any theatrics. However, attendees were getting ansty, waiting for their “1901.” Assumptions were that it would happen in an encore, but Phoenix knew they had teased us long enough. They began, and every moment of the song just got better. The crowd shouted along with the semi-nonsensical lyrics, and went particularly wild at, “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey,” as crowds do. The music stopped, and the show’s climax was complete.

Or was it? About 3 minutes later, Mars’ voice emerged from the crowd. He first sounded muffled, then stood up to finish his song with passion, and people in the aisles that had felt the show's end turned, their mouths gaping. It was an incredible finale to an incredible evening of pleasant surprises, gorgeous light shows, and beautiful music.

Most importantly, Phoenix chose their theatrics well—while many bands get drowned in novelties and technology, this one used the big stage to reinforce one thing: at the end of the day, its all about the music, and all 17,680 audience members can attest.

Reach reporter Jen Winston here, or follow her on Twitter (@jenerous).