Other reviews of this show:

The show was great, but I thought Neil seemed a little "off" -- tired, distracted (a la the lyric fuck-up on "Sinner") -- early on; pretty much just work-a-day tearing through the songs. Nowhere near the energy of the Irving Plaza gig. But it was Neil and it was a cut above and before too long the momentum was there. The crowd's enthusiasm baited the hook and, thankfully, he bit. Good intro to "Sinner," though, with Neil's commentary on the variety of body piercings he saw witnessed on South Street in Phila. and how that was probably some sort of Catholic self-flagellation thing.

Played "Astro" - good. No "Twisty Bass," which thankfully kept Neil from being dwarfed behind Robert Moore's big ol' bass. An observation: Neil - if you're out there - give "She Will Have Her Way" the ending it deserves, the one you're using is a little too utilitarian and abrupt for a song with such a big sound. You can thank me later.

A wonderful, impromptu "Pineapple Head" made it's way into the acoustic portion. "Four Seasons in One Day" and "One Step Ahead" also done acoustic.

"Private Universe," this new live treatment is great - more biting. Works well.

The encores turned it into a really great show. And, yes, there was a chatfest going on. "Message to My Girl" was awesome, "When You Come" was a real treat. He played it on keyboard -- the medium in which it was written, he explained. Started it solo (after the heretofore mentioned raucous request on the behalf of one "Mars" in the back of the room) and got the big finish it needed with help from the drummer and the bass player.

By the way, the band is very, very good -- as good as one could hope for... still there are times you miss the Neil-Nick-Paul dynamic. Nick's bass lines are, as Neil descibed last night's audience, "choice." I couldn't help but watch the show last night and imagine it with Nick, Paul and Mark. But, whatever...

After hearing and watching Liam play for a second time, I'm more impressed with his abilities (not that I wasn't already). He's really very good.

After Neil talked up the audience at length in the last encore, he finished with Addicted.

I must say that WXPN in Philadelphia has been giving Neil pretty good, stepped-up support recently (they've always played Crowded House and Split Enz). Hopefully, that'll keep up and spread the word.