POP MUSIC REVIEWS : A Mellowed Band Still Picks the Right Material

Thursday night at the House of Blues, the Band offered an eager crowd a set of the countrified folk-rock that earned the group a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Original members Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson--carrying on without primary songwriter Robbie Robertson and the late Richard Manuel--no longer play with the fire or focus that elevated the group in its heyday, but the material still shines.

Supported by three back-up players and a five-piece horn section, the Band opened with gusto, running through some skillful renditions of back-catalogue favorites including “Blind Willie McTell” and “Rag Mama Rag.” Danko’s percolating bass lines and Helm’s soft touch on the drums were in particularly good form on the off-kilter shuffle of “Don’t Do It” and the slinky groove of “Up On Cripple Creek.”

The group sounded a bit thin and unsteady on such deceptively complex tunes as “Stagefright” and “Life Is a Carnival,” but Danko and Helm’s affecting vocals added heart and depth. “The Weight” was reeled off in perfunctory fashion, but enough of the song’s spirit came through that the crowd sang along with every lyric.

Robertson’s absence leaves a large hole in the sound, and hard years on the road may have dimmed the spirits. But the group is still capable of magic, and in those moments, the Band’s rich, soulful music remains deeply satisfying.