Columbia: Live at Missouri University, 4/25/93 in Bloomington, MN

With
the Posies
'
Jon Auer
and
Ken Stringfellow
standing in with
Alex Chilton
, on
Jody Stephens
' recommendation, for the uninterested
Andy Hummel
and the deceased
Chris Bell
, the foursome run through a collection mostly drawn from
#1 Record
Radio City
.
Chilton
's in good voice throughout, the blend of sweetness and melancholia of the band's original days present and fine as ever. As a band, the quartet doesn't let the legacy down a whit, from "Don't Lie to Me" and its full passion to the bemused regret of "September Gurls." Everyone else gets at least one vocal turn as well, a nice way of signaling the group effort that went into the show.
Stephens
handles "Way Out West" and "For You,"
Auer
sings
Bell
's solo single "I Am the Cosmos," while
Stringfellow
takes over on no less than three songs, "Back of a Car," "Daisy Glaze," and a smashing rip on "Feel." A few interesting surprises are thrown in along the way, though anyone familiar with
's way around unexpected covers in performance won't be too taken off-guard.
T. Rex
's "Baby Strange" gets a straightforward take, glam sass fully intact and suiting the band perfectly, while
Todd Rundgren
's "Slut" closes out the set with a final appropriate blast. Not the end of the world, just a great show from a legendary group. ~ Ned Raggett