“Willy Porter plays the kind of rhythms that make me want to crawl inside his guitar and sleep there forever,” Tori Amos once said during her 1996 tour with the talented folk singer.

During his concert Saturday night at the Maintenance Shop, Amos’ statement became apparently true. The sold-out crowd waited in hushed anticipation for Porter, who had journeyed to Ames from Chicago after playing a Red Cross benefit the night before. The Wisconsin native broke into his first song with few opening words, and the attentive crowd was immediately captivated by his intensity.

Porter has a strong base in American folk, but this term is a very limiting label of his music. He varies his sound from foot-stomping melodies to slow ballads and grooving improvisations.

Porter, singing with his eyes closed as he shook his head and swayed to the rhythm of his guitar, had the ability to transform his performance into more of a celebration through his instrumental depth and storytelling lyrics, which were taken quite literally from his personal life experiences. In fact, the singer/ songwriter had a story to tell before nearly every song, which helped the already receptive audience connect on a more understanding level.

In songs such as “Rita,” the encore, Porter sang a humorous tongue-in-cheek story about a past love he could not turn away.

Witty and amusing at times, Porter evoked much response from the crowd with songs like “Jesus on the Grill,” a hilarious observation of religion portrayed as a lighted cross stuck on the front of a semi truck he once saw driving down the interstate.

Porter seemed to be enjoying himself immensely as he added personalized Iowa interstate lyrics and described visions of “Jesus, blessing all the roadkill” as the truck drove on full speed ahead, surrounded by cornfields on the desolate roadways.

“It’s a magical place you have here,” he said grinning. “Perky chickens!”

Porter also asked the audience to help him write a song. As individuals shouted out random ideas, Porter seamlessly produced the sonic concoction off the top of his head.

The song consisted of subjects like broccoli, monster trucks, mummies, pinball and Kansas City. Somehow, he transformed these ideas into a humorous but almost heartfelt love song, proving with good fun his exceptional improvisational ability.

Though often lighthearted, Porter only continued to showcase his abilities with songs that were also poignant and moving. In the song “The Trees Have Soul,” his voice floated over the audience and pulled them into a quiet observation of the simple beauty in life.

“Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest things,” he said.

People were silenced during songs like “Dandelion in a Minefield,” a sincere yet hopeful reflection of the events that have occurred in the past few weeks.

Porter said he was going to play as much music as possible without “breaking everyone’s emotional condom.” He also debuted new songs with thoughtful lyrics such as, “It’s a simple life I lead/ Still have a lot to learn about/ Finally getting over the sad part of yesterday … No angry words to say.”

Obviously exceptionally talented, yet humble and down to earth, Porter treated the crowd to an intricate song played on his 12 string acoustic guitar.

He often started with detailed intros that moved into upbeat melodies. One example is “Moonbeam,” a song that begins with complicated and fast-moving strumming and then picks up to a soulful sing-a-long.

As Saturday night’s two-hour concert continued, one thing remained constant. The crowd was captivated by Porter’s performance and took every opportunity to interact by shouting out requests and breaking into thunderous and sincere applause.

“Beer and good music are maintained at the Maintenance Shop,” Porter said. This soulful folk singer does not disappoint.