To the untrained eye, You’re Pretty’s final performance at the Maintenance Shop on Friday looked more like a funeral gathering than a rock concert.

With light from the stained glass reflecting off their tear-streaked faces, fans from Ames and across the country gathered to pay homage to their loved ones for the last time.

But unlike a funeral, the members of You’re Pretty were there to return the favor and managed to shake the M-Shop to its very core in the process.

Before the headliners took the stage, Arizona threesome Dug Llewelyn attempted to cheer up a rather somber crowd with a Lucky Boys Confusion-esque blend of funk, ska, rap and rock. Through tight guitar work and gorgeous harmonies, the band became the antithesis to what You’re Pretty would bring to the stage later that night. The crowd was a little slow to warm up to the group at first, but began dancing and singing along to the grooving rhythms and choruses after the first few songs.

The air was thick with sadness long before You’re Pretty’s nearly three-hour performance even began, but in what can only be described as pure performing elegance, lead singer Beth Musolff and crew managed to transcend the pain through their music, stories and never-ending love for their fans.

“All of you are influences for this song,” Musolff said to a near-capacity crowd. “It’s a little sad, but it’ll be OK.”

Musolff’s simple words seemed to speak to the crowd as a metaphor for the entire evening. Seconds later, bassist Chris Stenger plucked the first macabre notes of “Beautiful Accident,” the title track to the group’s most recent album, sending the devoted crowd into a barely contained emotional frenzy that lasted throughout the evening.

“They are so amazing to their fans,” said Katy Sapp, who, along with friends Jacob Cunningham and Mattie Furrow, traveled nearly 20 hours from Morgantown, W.Va., to see the last show. “We’ve been treated so well at every show we go to, and they really made us feel like we were friends with them right away.”

Fan appreciation has always been a You’re Pretty trademark, and the final show was no exception.

At various points throughout the concert, Musolff and Stenger, along with guitarist Steve Kern and drummer Dave Keckeisen, pulled countless members of their rabid fan base on stage and let them sing along and interact with the music on a truly personal level.

This highly personal interaction left an impact on many of the fans, some of whom voiced those feelings during the show.

Before the band returned for its encore, Shaunna Ulrick, sophomore in English, jumped onstage and told the crowd how she truly felt about You’re Pretty.

“These guys have been my favorite band since my freshman year,” Ulrick said. “I listen to them when I’m getting ready for school, getting ready for work, getting ready for bed, and I’m just not ready for them to be done yet.”

Ulrick’s words struck a chord with the fans, setting off one more in an endless stream of emotional outpourings from the crowd.

When You’re Pretty returned for its encore, the band members seemed to have shaken off any remnants of a rock star ego, asking the fans for requests and speaking at length about what the last six years in the band meant to them.

In perhaps the most heart-wrenching moment in all of You’re Pretty history, Musolff ended the show with “Nothing Lasts,” an all-too-appropriate reminder of the band’s sudden ending.

With her trademark soaring vocals and playful eyes, Musolff sang feelings of closure and sadness into the hearts of her teary-eyed followers.

As the band ended their final song, guitarist Steve Kern spoke intimately with the crowd, proving once again that You’re Pretty had always been dedicated to the fans.

“You’ve all made one of my biggest dreams come to true,” Kern said to his screaming legion of loyal supporters.

“Thank you so much for everything.”

Even after the band had left the stage, one member of the audience, Adam Frey, decided to address his fellow fans, and summarized perfectly what he felt You’re Pretty was all about.

“It’s not that they are gods, but rather they are telling us to be what they are – to ascend to what they are. And that’s the final message of You’re Pretty,” he said.

“It may be dark and brooding, but it lets us know that inside the darkness, there is hope to become more and step out into the light.”