On Saturday night, bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jon Batiste, performed at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. After experiencing the concert firsthand, I can say it is no wonder that Batiste and his group were chosen as The Late Show’s resident band. There is no better way to describe them than exhilaratingly entertaining and fun-loving.

Batiste started out with some classic jazz originals such as "Shreveport Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton and "Maple Leaf Rag" by George Gershwin, but he gave these timeless classics a twist. A general theme for most of the songs Batiste played, including especially these first few pieces, was his long and drawn-out endings. The feeling that one gets at the end of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet" (OMG WHY WON’T THEY JUST DIE ALREADY!) was not present at the end of Batiste’s music, though. In fact, the crowd would often cheer for more.

Batiste let his music do most of the talking, but after he shared some of the jazz classics with the crowd he remarked on “folk” music. Now, this is not the type of folk music that most people automatically think of with banjos and accordions. No, Batiste was referring to another type of “folk” music, the music that brings a community together and has a history and meaning to a certain group of people. This idea of “folk” music was Batiste’s theme in his concert entitled, “Stay Human."

Batiste played everyone’s favorites, but he made each piece his own. Songs included our national anthem, "Happy and You Know It" (yes, the song you used to sing in elementary school), "Amazing Grace", "Sunny Side of the Street", "My Favorite Things," and "I Want You Back". He drew out the endings, took dramatic breaks in the middle of songs, but most importantly he got the crowd involved. This aspect lent to Batiste’s mission to make his concert truly “folk."

I’m not one to usually get up and dance during concerts. As a person I’m generally pretty reserved, but I could not help but get up and dance with Batiste as he made his way through the crowd (he definitely spent more time in the crowd than on stage). Everyone in the audience was out of their chairs, clapping and dancing, and even though most people in the audience didn’t know each other, there was definitely a sense of community built around the familiarity of the songs and Batiste’s involvement with the crowd.

I’ve been to a lot of concerts of all different musical genres, but this concert was by far one of my favorites of all time (I’m putting Batiste up there with Taylor Swift -- that’s how much fun I had at this concert). I was always taught that music is supposed to make you feel something, it’s supposed to bring people together despite their differences, and I’ve never found that to be more true than during Jon Batiste’s performance.

The next time you turn on "The Late Show" don’t just pay attention to Colbert’s funny jokes; pay attention to Batiste and his band. They are truly an extraordinary group of musicians.