Stripped-down music is often the best music.

Friday evening kicked off three nights of "Out of Space" - an annual series of outdoor concerts presented by the SPACE music club in Evanston, IL. Typically, the organizers hold these concerts in Evanston (I have been to a few of them at Canal Shores Golf Course). They moved the shows to the Illinois Science and Technology Field in Skokie this year. It was a different venue but a similar atmosphere.

This opening night featured three artists, each bringing high energy with a small group - Squirrel Flower's quartet, Bob Mould's solo performance, and Courtney Barnett's trio. One does not need to fill a stage with people to fill a room with sound. Australian Courtney Barret headlined the event, but each artist contributed admirably to the evening.

I was unfamiliar with Courtney Barnett when I bought tickets to this concert. I really wanted to see the warmup act, Bob Mould. I have been a fan of Mould's work since I was a disc jockey at a student radio station at Michigan State University decades ago. Mould's band "Husker Du" was a regular on our playlist, which featured alternative rock music. My fandom continued with Mould's next band, "Sugar," and his later solo work. Mould did not disappoint on this night. He played for an hour, mixing tunes from throughout his four-decade career. Although he stood alone on stage, his frantic guitar work sounded as if he had a full band behind him.

Preceding Bob Mould was a local artist who called herself Squirrel Flower. She played a mean guitar and led a four-piece band.

Courtney Barnett hit the stage right on time and played for over ninety minutes. Her rockers were full of energy, and her slow songs were full of emotion. She is known for her songs' clever lyrics, so it was no surprise that devoted fans in the crowd sang along. But she drew the loudest applause when she launched into a blistering guitar solo. Backed only by Bones Sloane on bass and Dave Mudie on drums, Barnett showed the energy one can create with a power trio. She played selections from her three studio albums. Highlights included "Avant Gardener," "Before You Gotta Go," and "On Script," a song originally recorded as a duet with Kurt Vile. She closed with "Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go to the Party" - a terrific singalong song - before thanking the audience and walking off stage. Surprisingly, she did not return for an encore.

But, after three bands and nearly four hours of music, it was enough.