On Wednesday night, Toronto-based hip-hop jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD returned for their second Boston show at the Middle East Upstairs. While many were confused about the downgrade in venue size from their previous set Downstairs, the night itself was nothing short of epic.Flanked by three great openers, BBNG threw down a spectacular set that highlighted their excellent new material while paying tribute to their origins.

Jamaica Plain trio Bay Faction started the night off with some smooth indie jams. Bridgewater DJ B-No went the polar opposite direction, throwing down heavy trap beats contrasted with smooth melody- almost as if Cashmere Cat and RL Grime found a middle ground. Local wunderkind keyboardist Mariano Xavier rounded out the support, blasting the crowd with spot-on covers of Outkast’s “Roses” and Disclosure’s “Latch,” as well as funk-drenched original compositions. With a rotating cadre of vocalists and stellar backup on drums and sax, Mariano’s set was an incredibly pleasant surprise.

By the time BBNG took the stage, the small room was packed. The trio started out with III album opener “Triangle,” a smooth number that had the whole crowd vibing if not getting wild. This changed quickly though- as they exploded into trappy new single “Can’t Leave the Night” the front half of the crowd descended into a mosh pit. If you’ve never seen moshing at a jazz show, it’s even wilder than it sounds.The set was heavy on cuts from III, and the band did a great job both varying their energy and interacting with the audience. While inter-song banter can often sound stilted, the guys were gracious, if a bit nonsensical, in their audience pump-ups.“We’re going to try something a little slower now,” drummer Alexander Sowinski told the audience before their rendition of album highlight “Differently, Still.” “But I want to take all the energy from the previous acts and you guys and blow it up in a big balloon and then we’re gonna burst it together!”

The highlights of the set were the excellent covers. Early on, a take of Flying Lotus’ “Putty Boy Strut” had the group flexing their improvisational skills while moving slightly away from the dark aesthetic that ran through most of the material. It was the blistering rework of TNGHT’s “Bugg’n” that got the most rapturous reception of the night, though. Injecting instrumental life into the trap banger, the crew had the entire venue, save the bar and merch table, in full mosh mode.

At this point, things were getting so hectic the band had to give a “stop or you might get kicked out,” warning. No one was deterred though- the moshing continued into their finale of “CS60” and a crowd-pleasing medley of some early hits- “Rotten Decay” and their take on Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade.” The audience left sweaty as hell and smiling from ear to ear.Through and through, this was an excellent show. While the unfortunate choice of venue meant that a lot of fans missed out (the show sold out weeks in advance) those who managed to get tickets were treated to an A+ performance from a band that’s going nowhere but up.