PHOTOS BY AKMAL NAIM

For "Songs of the City," an indie rock heavy concert presented in part of the L.A. Philharmonic's "Concrete Frequency" series, the enormous stage at the Walt Disney Hall last night (Jan. 8) was half-full with the vestiges of a living room: full couches, old-school lamps, rugs, and large, comfy chairs added to the festival's charming theme of life in the city. But emboldened with 13 bands and artists ranging from X's John Doe and Rogue Wave frontman Zach Rogue to Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen, the stage took on at least a bit of urgency; each artist performed two songs, ostensibly about life on the road or in a specific city, but not all held to the criteria -- though the gorgeously melodic folk-pop outfit Biirdie played their fish-out-of-water tale "LA Is Mars," erstwhile actress Zooey Deschanel, accompanied by the always-outstanding M. Ward, went the traditional pop route with standards such as "I Put A Spell On You" and "Lonesome Town," not exactly tales of hustle and bustle.

Bob Mould busted out "Thumbtack," an Austin-themed tune he hadn't played in over a decade, and Belle and Sebastian's Stevie Jackson invited Biirdie back up to help with harmonies. TV On the Radio's Kyp Malone's looped wails were captivating ("Desperate Bitch") and Sondre Lerche's jazzy meandering was typically charming ("Wet Ground," "Minor Detail"), but they couldn't hold a candle to the evening's standouts: Deschanel's classic vocal chops and Bird and the Bee singer Inara George's special guest, legendary songwriter Van Dyke Parks. The two duetted on Parks' song "Vine Street" (actually written by Randy Newman), and the audience was no longer in a living room. Finally, somehow, they'd actually been transported to the heart of Hollywood.

We asked: Who was your favorite performer from tonight's show?

Name: Jennie Napier
Age: 27
Occupation: Creative executive
"M. Ward -- I wish he had played his own stuff."

Name: Bonnie Horton
Age: 25
Occupation: Publicity
"Zooey with M. Ward was astounding. I'd never heard her sing before."

Name: Kim Garcia
Age: "Do I really have to say that?"
Occupation: Film production
"Biirdie -- oh my god, I loved them! When they came back with Stevie Jackson, I was like, 'yes!'"

Name: Nancy Motherway
Age: 31
Occupation: Web designer
"Inara George. She's my favorite performer here. I was impressed with Zach Rogue's songwriting abilities, though."

Name: Judith Durury
Age: "Way old"
Occupation: Real estate
"I'm originally from Minnesota, so it was really good to see Bob Mould again."

Name: Jackie Seiger
Age: 43
Occupation: Marketing
"Bob Mould. And Kyp Malone -- he was an amazing closer."

Name: Marvin Payumo
Age: 27
Occupation: Medical health recordist
"Sondre Lerche."

Name: John Arroyo
Age: 27
Occupation: Urban planner
"Zach Rogue -- I've been interested in the Rogue Wave album, so now I'm going to pick it up."

TV On the Radio's Kyp Malone / Photo by Akmal Naim

Rogue Wave's Zach Rogue / Photo by Akmal Naim

Singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche / Photo by Akmal Naim

Composer/arranger Van Dyke Parks with vocalist Inara George / Photo by Akmal Naim

L.A.-bred pop outfit Biirdie / Photo by Akmal Naim

Bob Mould / Photo by Akmal Naim

Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen / Photo by Akmal Naim

Former X frontman John Doe / Photo by Akmal Naim