Orville Peck is among a diversified group of musicians, from Brandi Carlile to Yola, who have opened up space in the country music scene for new audiences.

The South Africa-born, Canada-based musician is somewhat of an enigma. His unique persona pairs exaggerated western drama with stark masculinity — notably a fringe bordello mask hides his face. His style calls back to the outlaw country singers like Merle Haggard as well as early rock star Elvis Presley. But he also represents a reckoning in country music.

Peck is openly gay, and his often ballad-esque music celebrates and grapples with queer love. His lyrics address sexuality, loneliness, depression, and freedom. Peck’s second album, Bronco, was released in April. The name of the album says it all: Bronco is a celebration.

For the first of two shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis on his Bronco tour — his first headlining Minnesota shows ever — the sold-out crowd was ecstatic to have him. People donned cowboy hats, boots, western shirts, and even chaps to the show. There was a lot of romance in the audience — perhaps because it’s the beginning of Pride month, and also Peck’s music is inherently romantic.

Before Peck came on, opener the Nude Party, riled up the already lively crowd. The group of six young men took the stage with playful and unruly energy. The band, like their name suggests, is a party on stage. With a Blues Brothers-y vibe, and a few Gretsch guitars, they brought the audience back a couple decades into a high energy-blues-rock time warp.

Then, after about 30 minutes of anticipation, Orville Peck arrived on stage. He wore his classic get-up –– cowboy hat, embroidered denim, and the trademark fringe mask. One might think that the mask could create distance between himself and an audience, but it didn’t. Instead, there was true sincerity and connection in the room. Performing in that Zorro-style mask, Peck let loose in glamorous fashion. All the while, he was constantly wrangling the crowd: handing out roses, rewarding their energy, complimenting their outfits, and expressing gratitude for them being there.

Peck came out of the gate hot with “Daytona Sand.” His range is awe-striking — oscillating from high falsetto notes to a thunderous, deep baritone. When he hits his lowest notes, it’s stunning. You could feel his voice vibrate the room. At times, he was so loud and excited that his voice turned guttural, giving it an earthy quality.

After his first couple songs, he chatted with the crowd a bit. Before “Cry Baby Cry,” he asked four things of the audience: to sing, dance, cry, and to wish his drummer Jake a happy birthday. At “Drive Me, Crazy,” he asked if there were any truck drivers in the audience, and then dedicated the song to one.

His setlist ranged in tempo from high-speed tunes capturing the feeling of being on horseback to slow and dark ballads that had the crowd swaying in unison. He gave a quick history lesson before “Any Turn,” explaining that a fast song crammed with lyrics is called a “powder song.” In the most upbeat moments it felt like the room could break out in square dancing.

In his slower songs, he demonstrated serious vulnerability. He set down his guitar during “Ain’t No Glory In the West,” gently building up a sense of intimacy with the room with his body. Each movement seemed like a gift to a specific person in the crowd. Peck is classically trained in ballet, and you could tell by his emphasized movements and articulate timing. Some of his more upbeat dancing and gesturing was reminiscent of Wild West cartoons, pulling out imaginary guns from a holster, or hiking his knee up in a moment of crescendo.

As the show went on, the audience’s excitement became more and more palpable. People were dancing, yipping, and in Orville Peck fashion, yee-hawing. At one point, his guitarist described the crowd as rowdy, which only made the crowd rowdier.

Peck’s band no doubt helped him further enchant an already smitten audience. With charming choreography, and back-to-back jamming, they were a pleasure to watch. They played and talked to each other through the show, encouraging a feeling of camaraderie in the room. At one point, Peck’s bassist sat on the keyboard while Peck played piano, legs crossed on the edge of the keyboard, he gave an impressive solo.

After wrapping the set with “Bronco,” Peck rejoined an unrelenting audience for a two-song encore. He told the audience that some of his favorite bands came out of Minnesota, mentioning Prince and then settling on “Can’t Hardly Wait” from the Replacements. He finished up with, what he called an induction to the cult, with “Take You Back.” Starting with impressively long whistles, fit for an old-timey duel scene.

He ended the concert by thanking the crowd, and asked everyone to join together in a “yee-haw” — a final moment of togetherness before separating. People happily filtered out of First Ave, and as you left, you couldn’t keep count of all the cowboy hats.

The Nude Party & Orville Peck

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Setlist

Daytona Sand

Turn to Hate

The Curse of the Blackened Eye

Lafayette

C’mon Baby, Cry

Winds Change

Drive Me, Crazy

No Glory in the West

Trample Out the Days

Outta Time

Any Turn

All I Can Say

Hexie Mountains

Legends Never Die

Kalahari Down

Dead of Night

Bronco

Encore

Can't Hardly Wait (The Replacements)

Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call)