Live Review: The Cars, Tuesday, May 10 at the Showbox (Seattle)

Editor's note: This live review was supposed to go up last week. My bad. Still, thanks to Travis for taking the trip up to Seattle and reporting back for those of us who couldn't make it to see the Cars.

Not that the quartet would disappoint. Its signature sound — a blend of crunchy, power pop riffs braided to synth-y accents — and original line-up largely intact (sans bassist Benjamin Orr, who died in 2000), the group toggled between its deep catalog of party faves ("Good Times Roll," "My Best Friend's Girl," "You Might Think") and selections ("Blue Tip," "Hits Me," "Keep on Knocking") from 2011's Move Like This, their first studio recordings since 1987's Door to Door. The legacy material registered the loudest ovations over the course of the band's 80-minute set, but the newer tracks, imbued with twitchy, alt.-rock textures, were also well-received, providing a welcome buffer against what could have otherwise been a $elf-congratulatory exercise in nostalgia overload.

And the love, it should be noted, was reciprocal. The band's individual members, pushing into their 50s and 60s all, were surprisingly gracious and thankful, stopping occasionally to smile, wave and chit-chat with the audience. Even Ric Ocasek, the band's notoriously aloof frontman, seemed to be enjoying himself, a fact not lost on the hardcore fans in the venue. Adorned in black Ray-bans and a shaggy, rock star hair cut, he loomed over the stage as the lanky progeny of Skeletor and Lou Reed.

The band chose not to replace Orr on this tour, forcing Hawkes and Ocasek to juggle extra responsibilities on a few songs. This led to a speed bump on "Moving in Stereo," when the players couldn't quite sync their parts, all of which triggered this mulligan from a bashful Ocasek: "Do you mind if we do that one again?" Finding their proper gear once more, the band motored through their performance with an improved, spot-on rendition, proof that the good times really can roll again. Retreating backstage for a quick pause, The Cars encored with "Sad Song," the first single from MLT, and a perfectly perfunctory version of "Just What I Needed," an easy coda to the evening's festivities.

Set List:

Good Times Roll

Blue Tip

Since You're Gone

Up & Down

My Best Friend's Girl

Hits Me

Touch & Go

I'm In Touch With Your World

Keep On Knocking

You Might Think

Drag On Forever

Free

I'm Not The One

Heartbeat City

Let's Go

Moving In Stereo

Moving In Stereo (Redux)

Encore:

Sad Song

Just What I Needed

WWeek 2015