It’s been said that great things come in small packages, and the moment I walked into Hotel Café in Los Angeles, I knew that truer words haven’t been spoken. The intimate venue and stage only serves to showcase just how much that applies to the man standing in the center of it. It will never stop being surprising how such a big sound and a contagious energy can come from someone so small.

When you first see Patrick Stump, a few things run through your mind. Yeah, he’s pretty tiny, has honest eyes, likes his pockets, and is mostly adorable, but then he jumps on stage and opens his mouth and starts dancing, and you struggle momentarily to balance the two in your head before you’re swept away by the sound and strength and soul that comes from him and his band consisting of newcomer guitarist, Michael Day, Matt Rubano, former Taking Back Sunday member and longtime friend of Patrick’s playing bass, Casey Benjamin and his fantastic hair on keyboards, saxophone, and synthesizer, and Skoota Warner banging the drums.

The show included special guest artists, Alph-a-Bit, rapping on “Porcelain”, and 'D.A.' Wallach, of Chester French, singing part of “Big Hype”. Patrick played the trumpet, and when the batteries died on his pedal, we learned that Patrick can play his guitar solo with his mouth just as well as he can with his guitar. Patrick covered “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” and “Mrs. Jones” on the keyboard while the band took a small break, and then, if you weren’t dancing yet, you couldn’t help but dance along with Patrick, Michael, and Matt when they showed off their moves during “Cryptozoology”.

Patrick avoided the cliché moves most bands make, showing how genuine he and his love for what he does is, and just played a lot of songs for the second time that night, rockin’ the stage and the crowd as well as his suit, complete with bowtie, and rad boots. The show ended with ‘Explode’, a song from his upcoming album, Soul Punk, being released later this year, where Patrick sang, “Clap if you got a ticket to the end of the world”, and then more true to his nature, proclaimed to the audience, “You don’t even need a ticket, just clap”.

And they did.

When Patrick leaves the stage, his heart and soul remain there, a reminder to everyone just how much of himself he put into the show, and his energy is left to soak into the crowd. The band hangs out to visit with the crowd, many reuniting with friends in LA, and with the amount of collective musical talent that they have, it’s a pleasant surprise how humble and thankful they are. A while later, Patrick emerges, hands in his pockets, endearing and polite, to happily talk to fans, patiently pose for photos, and sign autographs.

You can catch up with Patrick, find out upcoming tour dates, follow him on twitter, and find out where to buy his EP, Truant Wave, if you haven’t already, here at his site http://www.patrickstump.com/ .