SAN FRANCISCO--Nearly 700 Bebel Gilberto fans have the joys of modern technology to thank for the Brazilian chanteuse's splendid performance Monday night at a packed Bimbo's 365 Club.

Saddled with a broken foot that forced her to cancel last month's pair of shows at Bimbo's, Gilberto was in Rio de Janeiro for surgery last month as she was supposed to begin rehearsals with her band for the tour. To avoid further delay and to make sure the group would be ready for the tour, Gilberto used Skype to monitor and guide the band's sessions.

Using the VOIP phone service as a rehearsal conductor clearly worked, as Gilberto steered the quartet through an impressive 80-minute set Monday night. Gilberto is still hobbled by the foot, which she injured when she fell trying to hail a cab in New York City, her adopted hometown.

And though she apologized for her energy level during the set, the fractured foot never broke the vibe of the night. Not surprisingly for the daughter of Brazilian legend Joao Gilberto, Bebel Gilberto plays bossa nova, but does so in a way that incorporates a bevy of other influences into a sound that she has made her own over her three solo albums.

Sporting a sleeveless floral blouse over black pants, Gilberto kicked off the set with the opening and title track from her new album, Momento. The sultry number set the perfect tone for the night: a bit reserved and mellow but interspersed with plenty of reason to do what Brazilian music demands--dance.

On the new song "Bring Back the Love," which features the Brazilian Girls on the album, Gilberto seemingly teased the beat into acceleration with her sexy crooning. The same could be said for the Caetano Veloso-penned "Baby." The quirky, playful song morphed into a stomper to close out the night, with Gilberto finding the middle ground between sass and class.

Two older tracks, "Aganju" and "So Nice (Summer Samba)," both of which have received a ton of remix treatments over the years, pepped up the portion of the crowd that hadn't yet heard the new record.

With Gilberto singing most of the set from an art deco chair to rest her foot, multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco, who has worked with Gilberto for years along with the likes of David Byrne and his own band Forro in the Dark, was the one to watch on stage. Darting between drums, flute, and a host of percussive instruments, Refosco put his sonic stamp on every track.

But let's not get it twisted: Bebel Gilberto could be in traction and still command the visual and aural attention of any room in which she plays. With some help from Skype and an excellent backing band, the Brazilian chanteuse proved that broken bones are no match for her gift.