For three hours Friday night, even the least rhythmic of the DeKalb hipsters tried to bust the proverbial move.

Those who purchased the $17 ticket for the J.Davis Trio and Poi Dog Pondering saw Otto’s, 118 E. Lincoln Highway, morph into the waning moments of the film “PCU.”

The J.Davis Trio (JDT) took the stage at 10 p.m. Sandwiched between “Mr. Show” and Pink Floyd references, the front-man known only as Stuart uttered the prophetic sentence, “Let’s get this [party] started.”

The stylish JDT performed a unique fussion of neo-soul, funk, jazz and hip-hop. The near-capacity crowd was treated to 50 minutes of vibes, trumpet and socially cognizant lyrics. Brandishing suites and breaching genres, they urged onlookers to “throw your hands in the air/ wave them like you really do care.”

-In an attempt to please an audience yearning for an encore, the JDT closed with an updated sing-along of the Susan Vega song, “Tom’s Diner.”

After lending flutist Paul Mertens to the JDT earlier in the evening, the remaining members of Poi Dog Pondering (PDP) paraded onto stage at 11:20 p.m.

PDP is touring to support its recent release “In Seed Comes Fruit.” Consisting of a dozen members, all individually acclaimed and successful musicians, they intended to prove so by lengthening each tune to nearly eight minutes with revolving solos and predictably arrogant jam sessions. Despite the pompous self-indulgence, the crowd loved every minute.

“Sometimes you can feel when the bridles are off the horses and they just want to run,” said vocalist Frank Orrall, who celebrated his birthday the same night. “You’ve got to just feel the moment and let the songs go where they want to. Tonight was like that.”

Bringing its own style with eclectic roots stretching from funk to rock, PDP textures its sound with layers of cellos, multiple vocalists, violins and a flute. Thus proving flute-rock somehow survived Jethro Tull.

The small stage created a challenge for the Chicago dozen.

“I was bumping into people all night. It was hard to move around the stage with so many people so close together. But then again, 90 percent of the energy comes from the crowd. It’s nice to be that close,” said Orrall.

After performing such crowd-pleasers as “Love Rains Down” and “Tabouche,” in typical rock-star fashion, PDP left the stage and returned moments later for a 3-song encore.

The 17 songs lasted over two hours. Poi Dog Pondering led the audience in song and dance, urging them to sing while doing a mutated version of the pogo.

“I love shows like tonight. I’m exhausted,” laughed Orrall. “This is a good way to start the tour.”

Friday was the first stop for PDP on a tour to California and back. The J.Davis Trio will play Otto’s again on Oct. 17.