How often do bands devote three nights to Providence Rhode Island? Better yet...is there another band of a similiarly reasonably high stature that has done so?

1st Set: An energetic breezy "Hey Pocky" wakes me up. "Jack" is always a popular choice, and is a solid rocker. The sashaying continues with a decent "West LA." Things remain bright and hopeful during the "Masterpiece." Brent's pretty tinkles elevate a mundane "Friend." "Cassidy" is a marked improvement over every rendition tonight. It picks up during the first chorus and doesn't relent, especially during the thrilling end. Jerry may have been a four time loser, But if anyone had ever bothered to listen to the lyrics he sangduring "Althea", they would have known he was born to be a bachelor. "We want Phil" chants ring throughout the Civic Center, but Bobby inexplicably states, "Phil says, 'No Prisoners.'" Huh? "Greatest" is pretty much standard. There's then an odd moment where the music appears to stop-restarts with "Greatest's" thematic guitar riff until Brent breaks free from the confusion and starts singing the Ryder/Richard combo "Devil w/Blue Dress/Good Golly." It's certainly a freewheeling move tho the rhythm behind these tunes is the same as "Greatest." Anyways, while Jerry does a good job of maintaining the music's integrity, Brent provides the gusto disallowing the generic backbeats to interfere with my enjoyment.

2nd Set: Those playful chords of "China" delight all who dare to enter their warm confines. The fairy dust is flowing, but not enough to cause a growth of wings. "Rider" is, again, quite kind, but not sustaining enough effortless flow where I'm astounded. Aspects of this "Playin" jam are representational of the show. There are chapters where intriguing notes and melodies are hit; but rarely do they add up to a compelling story. However, Brent and Jerry are tagging quite nicely from 7 on. As 'Playin' deconstructs, harpsichords begin filling the air signalling (depending on the 'power' of this "China" version)a return to the (standing) fetal position... :) Doesn't quite reach those lowly depths, but it's a (dis) pleasure nonetheless. Both "Drums" and "Space are relatively short tonight. Increasingly warm tones signify that we're in for the wisdom of "The Wheel." WEll, we haven;t been treated to the triple threat yet, so it's no surprise that "Gimme"'s up next. Hmmm, we're skipping both the third rocker and the seemingly obligatory ballad for a highly compentent "Throwing." Although "NFA"'s construct is no different, Jerry's work is of a higher than average level. In addition, the boys are convincingly echoing the song's message.

The crowd is more than willing to chant, chant, chant til the boys return. They do, of course, and respond by giving the capacity crowd a little more of a "NFA" groove. Noone wants to leave; good vibes flow from "Quinn," and goose bumps are filling my arms. Thank you for the past 15 minutes of music.

The show sure ended strongly. 3 1/3 stars

The guys came back in great form after Jerry got well. The energy of this show and others was their way of saying "we're not going anywhere, we have too much fun doing this." They just need something to remind them of that.

Get this source. It's an EXCELLENT AUD.