Max Raabe & Palast Orchester performed at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis last Wednesday night. Raabe is the German singer and band leader of the Palast Orchester, a 12-piece ensemble that performs German dance and film music of the 1920s and 1930s, theatrical songs and big band jazz. Raabe also recreates modern pop songs from the likes of Britney Spears into a 1920s and ‘30s band style.

Their instrumentation consists of violins, clarinet, bass, piano, trumpet, saxophone, flutes and drums. The band was chosen to perform at the reception of popular rock musician Marilyn Manson and burlesque star Dita Von Teese's wedding.

All 13 band members were dressed to perfection, with the 12 men in fitted black tuxedos and one woman in a long black gown. Raabe is notorious for his dashing and effortless presence, even when taking a break from singing to let the band spoil the audience with their talents.

By the looks of them on stage, the sophistication was enough to scare the audience into sitting up straight for a proper good time, but Raabe's comedic efforts shined through at the beginning of each song to put the audience at ease. He introduced one number explaining that music “has always been closely linked to destiny and personal tragedy." After a short pause, he added, “Who cares?” Imagine listening to an old-timey radio show host, and Raabe is just that, minus the static and crackling sounds.

The band was in for a good time too. Their faces lit up listening to each other’s solos. One saxophone player watched the violinist’s solo, leaning in to get a better look at her across the stage, grinning ear to ear as if this wasn't the 1,300 time he had heard it.

The band members danced along with their instruments. When all the saxophones hit a high note, they jerked their instruments in sync, filling the hall with their sounds. The band’s upbeat attitude spilled out into the crowd.

One moment toward the end of the show had me fooled. I knew by then the band was full of brilliant tricksters, but what I thought was merely a mishap actually happened to be all about the comedy act. There was a hanging xylophone chime that the drummer used here, and one chime fell off as a result of roughness. The crowd giggled, but it became apparent this was all part of the show, as the next phase was to completely dismember the instrument into one big pile of chimes.

As the last number approached, Raabe hit the microphone to bid farewell as the crowd responded with "aww!" The experience left me fuzzy inside as I got to experience beauty and humor performed to a diverse crowd from a diverse crowd of musicians.