As a massive cloth banner sporting the singer's name was hoisted into the air, strange alien noises began spewing from the speakers. "We are born, we are born," they began to disjointedly chant, hastening and finally meeting in a frenzied rally cry. At once, Sia, wearing a red- and white-striped gown and a glowing light piece attached to her forehead, looking not unlike a glorious technicolor unicorn, pranced out from behind the stage with her band. "This is my head penis!" she announced, pointing at the contraption. The crowd cheered in approval, propelling her into the first of many Woody Woodpecker-like giggle fits.

Last Saturday, Sia arrived in Boston for the American leg of her We Meaning You tour, a tour to promote her upcoming release, We Are Born, due out June 7.

As the singer, formerly best known for her more solemn, down- tempo work with Zero 7 or her classic ballad "Breathe Me," Sia has certainly had an image reversal as of late: Saturday's show was, if nothing else, a bubbly affair, complete with crocheted set design and colorful patterns.

On stage, the microphones and instruments were wrapped in fabrics and yarn. Even the amps were covered in fuzzy knits, making the show look a bit like it were an impromptu performance inside a Mexican souvenir shop. As if to purposely counteract the rather dreary ambiance of her last few efforts, the night was a spunky celebration of color and dance-ready pop tunes.

Sia herself is an effortless, understated powerhouse of a performer. Standing barefoot at center stage, the singer playfully twitched around, doing robotic dances and playing with the fringes of her dress while effortlessly belting out some of the toughest, scale-heavy numbers from her discography, including "Little Black Sandals," "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" and her brilliant cover of Madonna's "Oh Father." These were literally studio- ready vocals (if not better than the original recordings) being produced, as though it were not a big deal.

Aside from "Breathe Me," the most celebrated songs of the night also happened to be the newest ones, especially the new single "Clap Your Hands." It seems no concertgoer, no matter how dedicated or ambivalent, can resist a bass groove as dirty as the one in her latest single. The entire audience seemed to sway and clap in unison to the song's massive disco beat. "Bring Night" and "You've Changed" were equally beloved by the crowd, only further emphasizing the very real fact that a happy Sia is just as wonderful as a down tempo Sia.

Later on, after the "fake encore" (as she referred to her initial exit from the stage), the Aussie songstress returned to the stage with a set of colorful plastic wheel wings attached to her back. Yes, friends, it was time for bubbles! From behind the singer, a machine began spinning the wings on Sia's back, resulting in flurries of bubbles that carried across the venue. "This is the first time it's worked the way I want it to!" she announced giddily, doing a quick victory dance before rounding out the concert with a moving rendition of "Soon You'll Be Found," complete with accompanying sign language.

"Who wants to do some more heckling?" she would ask a few times throughout the show. As the crowd would begin to cheer, choice members of the audience threw out their best, silliest insults-or whatever was on their mind, really. "Your girlfriend is hot!" shouted one. "Thanks, I'll tell her you said that!" she responded gleefully. "Your drummer is hot!" shouted another. Not exactly the jeers she was expecting perhaps, but ridiculous nonetheless.

Despite a lack of costume changes or major video installations, the singer kept the crowd engaged with her adorable, off-kilter anecdotes and interactions with the audience. It's hard to believe that the bouncy, effervescent character dancing around onstage is the same one soulfully belting out her songs like some of the best songstresses of the last century. But then again, you would have to see it happen live to truly understand.