WINNIPEG - Who would have thought that, under all those bittersweet lyrics and moody 'tude, Jann Arden could be such a fun gal?

Not us -- but the Calgarian songstress-slash-comedienne was live and well (even after her recent diagnosis with a heart condition) at MTS Centre last night, when 3,500 fans gathered for an intimate show that was equal parts melancholy and sarcasm.

"Lots of dancing tonight, my choreography's all new this year," cracked Arden after opening tracks No One Knows Me off her 2005 self-titled effort and I'm Not Your Lover off her 1993 debut Time for Mercy.

After explaining an unfortunate incident involving an MTS Centre toilet that flushed prematurely, Arden sank into old favourites Wishing That, The Sound Of, Could I Be Your Girl, I Would Die for You and Insensitive while pausing between each to muse over her relations with her five band members.

Accentuating a recently slimmed down figure in a flowing skirt, black stiletto boots and buttery leather jacket, Arden casually strolled about while her fans warmly laughed at her jokes. One woman even got a chance to express her admiration on stage, hugging Arden and telling her, "I read your article in Chatelaine and you are my inspiration. I lost 50 pounds!"

Arden was less enthused about her own exercise routine: "I'm going to throw my effing treadmill off of an effing cliff."

It wasn't until mid-way through her set Arden broke out the recycled goods: A joke we'd heard at one of her previous gigs and tunes off her latest disc of covers, Uncover Me.

"Picture me in my basement ... watching my little brother doing mushrooms out of a foil pack," she deadpanned before launching into Carly Simon's You're So Vain.

At press time, she was sending things out (well, pre-encore anyway) on a swell mid-May note with a Good Mother singalong.

Homeboy J. P. Hoe also went under the covers with a take on the Tragically Hip's Wheat Kings in his opening set. Taking a leap from the bar scene to the big stage, he battled nerves but came out strong with his Rufus Wainwright rasp and a soothing acoustic set.

Sun Rating: 3.5 out of 5