Monday night, the spring season was ushered in as girls in summer dress and boys in khaki shorts swarmed into the State Theatre in State College, Penn., to see Ingrid Michaelson perform her sold-out show.

“I love Ingrid,” Penn State U. sophomore Victoria Armada said. “She gets me through my day.”

Armada said she had gotten a mass text message about the concert before the semester started, and knew she had to get tickets.

Zach Johnston, a Penn State freshman said they stood outside the theatre during the ticket sale to make sure they would get them. “I’ve never seen her live,” Johnston said. “But if she’s half as good as she records, she’ll be great.”

Michaelson serenaded the crowd with hits like “The Chain” and “Be OK,” as well as mixing in some new songs and covers — including some of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and a ukulele version of Radiohead’s “Creep.”

Michaelson encouraged crowd participation, and at one point divided the theatre into two teams — “aww sh–,” and “sexy b——” — in order to encourage a competitive sing-a-long. She also ran into a slight wardrobe problem during the show.

She was wearing a skirt, which made it difficult to sit and play piano without flashing a woman in the front row. Michaelson fixed the problem by holding a tomato-shaped shaker between her thighs.

Opening for Michaelson was 17-year-old Cara Salimando, who performed only with a piano and a guitar player.

Near the end of her set, she told the crowd she was giving out a sampler CD for free, but there was only half a box left.

Immediately, a swarm of girls rushed to the lobby in order to get their hands on a copy, clearing them out.

“She was amazing,” Katie Goeller, a Penn State junior, said. “The line was so long.”

Penn State junior Will Berger said it was cool of Salimando to give away her music for free. “It wasn’t for profit — just spreading her music,” Berger said.