Friday, March 8, Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Hines performed a 17-song, two-hour acoustic set in a laid-back atmosphere at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

The atmosphere around the concert was so relaxed that Hines himself came in through the front door of the GBPAC. Despite the chill atmosphere of Hines’s concert, his message of hope and optimism was not lost as it became the main theme of his set list.

It is apparent that Hines has an extra dose of hope and optimism in his life. According to his official website, Hines has Larsen syndrome, a joint dislocation condition that confines him to a wheelchair at all times. Despite his limitations, Hines remained upbeat and gracious to all who came out to see him.

“Love is one of the few things that has no boundaries,” Hines said in his video introduction.

The concert began with “Brings Me to My Knees,” a song driven by a relaxed acoustic guitar groove. The set list, which was all acoustic, invoked other famous singer-songwriters, such as Simon and Garfunkel and Jim Croce.

Hines’ voice, while having a fragility to it, had plenty of power as well. His backing band, consisting of Justin Abedin (acoustic guitar and backing vocals), Kevin Fox (guitar and cello) and Kevin Adamson (piano and backing vocals) was adept at creating a strong supporting atmosphere for Hines’s personal and often uplifting lyrics.

At various points in the concert, Hines shared stories about people who inspired him and kept him hopeful about his life.

“You know people have the ability do us a great good or a great harm, but no matter what happens, we can rest in the fact it is all working together for our good,” said Hines.

One story Hines shared was about a man who lost his house in the Joplin, Mo., tornado, yet spray-painted inspirational messages on the remnants of his house. This led into “Tell Me I’m Wrong,” a song about optimism despite adversity, which was backed by the video from Hines’ music video for the song, shot in the recovery effort after the tornado.

Hines debuted a couple of new songs from his upcoming album, “How We Fly,” including “We the People,” which states a belief in people being able to make a change for good. Hines showcased his harmonica skills in “Here By My Side,” a moody, guitar-led song with elements of flamenco and finger-style, ending with a solo from Hines.

Hines also included two covers in his set, which were faithful adaptations of Peter Gabriel’s “Solsbury Hill” and Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name.” Hines wound down the night with his biggest hit, “Say What You Will,” a song about his thankfulness for life.

Accompanying this song was the music video for it, which showed people in Toronto sharing encouraging messages on a whiteboard. This was followed by the Simon and Garfunkel-esque “Courage” to end the set.

Hines thanked the audience and left the stage, but the audience wasn’t done with him yet. Hines received a minute-long standing ovation that prompted him to do an encore. He performed another new song, “If I’m Wrong,” which ended the show like it began, with optimism.

Hines proved to be a source of inspiration throughout his set, which was personalized when I interviewed two women after the show. They were organizers of the Cedar Falls Pink Ribbon Run, which raises money for breast cancer patients.

“I loved it,” said Adele Kessler, a resident of Cedar Falls. “His life story just speaks to you.”

“He’s an artist that speaks to your heart,” added Gabbi DeWitt, also a Cedar Falls resident. “We used his song ‘Courage’ for the Pink Ribbon Run and it was great to hear him close the show with it.”