As a cool autumn breeze whipped through the air, Matt Maltese had attendees holding both their cardigans and loved ones a little tighter Friday night at the Greek Theatre.

When doors opened, the venue was not particularly packed. This relaxed attitude set the tone for a calm concert, and those who arrived early got to enjoy an opening set from duo The Army, The Navy. The visually polar-opposite singers — Sasha Goldberg with a chic fringe and mic in hand and Maia Ciambriello plucking a guitar with a bright pink pixie cut — came together to soothe concert goers with their harmonies.

This is the band’s second time opening for Matt Maltese since they joined him on his 2024 Touring Just to Tour tour. The pair played popular hits like “Persimmon” and “Vienna (In Memoriam),” which earned loud cheers from the crowd. Gentle voices could be heard singing along to the onstage duo’s harmonizing of “Looks like the cat did a number on you, Vienna.”

Soon after they finished their set, the fluorescent lights changed to welcome the second opener, Cornelia Murr. The singer played keys alongside her dynamic band, which consisted of guitar, drums and saxophone. Murr’s soft, plaintive vocals rang out across the venue as she opened with “How Do You Get By,” a piece from her recent album “Run to the Center.”

She followed up with another song from the same album, “Meantime,” where she whistled along to her band during a section of the song. Murr also played the popular song “Different This Time” from her 2018 album “Lake Tear of the Clouds.” The singer was unafraid to experiment with a variety of instruments as the synth and drums worked harmoniously to have the audience swaying.

Although concert attendee Emma Groce hadn’t ever heard Murr’s music before, she said she thoroughly enjoyed the singer’s unique mix.

“She made me realize that we need more sax and flute and whistle solos in the great year of 2025,” Groce said.

Once the opening sets were over, audience members quickly flocked toward the merch stand where Murr also waited to greet fans and hand out autographs. The singer, who has been touring with Maltese since the beginning of the tour in September, said that despite having spent so much time together and listening to the same set, she never gets tired of performing with him.

“Every night is beautiful,” Murr said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “It’s a good blend, our sets. But we’ve seen a lot of this country together and Canada, and we’re still all getting along so I think that bodes well.”

As the night pressed on, attendees’ anticipation only grew for Maltese’s set. Katie Ha, a casual listener who accompanied a friend, said she was excited to hear the headliner’s music live.

“I don’t think there’s gonna be much jumping, more of a simple sway type of vibe,” Ha said. “Really calm, you know?”

Similarly, concert-goer Levi Lopez, who has been a fan of Maltese for roughly three years, was eager to hear the singer’s new music, particularly “Cure for Emptiness.” Lopez saw Maltese live last year at The Wiltern and predicted the audience would be calm but still showcase their excitement at the right moments.

“Everyone’s kind of just silent and respectful for him, but then for the [bigger]g songs everyone sings,” he said. “It’s really cool.”

When the lights eventually dimmed at around 9:30 p.m., attendees cheered loudly as Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement” played under an eerie voiceover. Soon after, the first light guitar strumming of “Always Some MF” started to play, and Maltese’s gentle, slow vocals sang out, “Don’t hide, it’s fine.” The audience remained silent until the drums started to pick up, causing the crowd to cheer once again.

In the middle of the song, Maltese situated himself at the piano, where he remained for the rest of the night, providing accompaniment as he continued his lament.

The songs, though slow in the beginning, had couples and friends alike swaying along in their seats. Additionally, on streaming, Maltese’s soft singing paints a picture of a meek vocalist; nevertheless, he proved himself to be a vocal powerhouse when performing live.

Attendee Groce said she initially fell in love with his music after some of his songs came up on shuffle a few years ago.

“I like how it’s like I’m going to a house party, but a chill one,” Groce said. “And someone’s performing for their small group of friends. It gives that vibe.”

A majority of the audience remained seated throughout the performance, reminiscent of an orchestral performance. However, that does not mean the crowd was made of unenthusiastic or not present listeners by any means. The silence during the songs was loud, but the applause and hooting that followed was even louder. Some of the loudest cheering occurred when Maltese introduced “Curl Up and Die” from his 2020 album “Krystal,” one of his quietest songs.

Similarly, the majority of attendees sang along quietly until Maltese played his extremely popular hit “As the World Caves In.” The Greek Theatre rang out in unison with the piano as they sang, “Oh girl, it’s you that I lie with / As the atom bomb locks in.”

Maltese eventually finished his encore and the show with “Everyone Adores You (at least I do).” He closed by showing his gratitude to the huge crowd, who had been eagerly singing along the entire night and his band, who provided instrumentation and backup vocals.

“I’m going to take a long time to process this,” Maltese said. “Thank you so much.”