Slightly out of breath after opening last Friday's set at SummerStage, in New York's Central Park, with two rollicking, bluesy solo acoustic tunes, '100 Million Years' and 'Sad, Sad Song,' M. Ward smiled and said, "This is our first time playing the park." While it may have been his first gig there, he sang like he owned the joint.

A veteran of the Portland, Ore., music scene, Ward is a musician's musician and has recorded, performed and toured with a diverse list of acts including Bright Eyes, Norah Jones and Beth Orton. His side project She and Him, a folk collaboration with Zooey Deschanel, was a critical and popular hit and helped to introduce his music to the world at large.

So by the time Ward took front and center under the canopy at Rumsey Playfield, the audience was more than happy to sing along to nearly every song. Not many performers can claim that -- Dave Matthews and Bruce Springsteen come to mind -- and while Ward isn't yet a household name of that caliber, his songs are for many of his fans.

Joined by his four-piece band, the show took on the air of a roadhouse juke joint, with the barreling piano of 'Hold Time' -- the title song from his recent album -- leading the way. Toss in a fun cover of Buddy Holly's 'Rave On,' his own country classic 'Fisher of Men' and a loyal take on Chuck Berry's 'Roll Over Beethoven' and the musical history lesson was complete. The only thing missing was the home-brewed lemonade and the bayou out the window.

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