The crowd was admitted to the very nice, very classy venue at 7:30 p.m. A massive white sheet concealed the entire stage, leaving the crowd to further ponder what this "Evening with Eels" would consist of. Something like the elaborate Eels with Strings tour? The fast-rocking, flight-suit-donning No Strings Attached tour? Lounge music? That's the connotation the tour's title broadcasted in my mind, anyway.

The question lingered for a while longer as the show began with a full presentation of the BBC documentary "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives." E made this documentary in 2007 with the goal of further investigating the revolutionary Many Worlds Theory his father, Hugh Everett, developed over 50 years ago - and in doing so hoping to understand the man he knew so little.

For those who have yet to see it, the documentary is great. It's funny, interesting, easy enough to understand, and bursting with suitable Eels music. At the end, the crowd gave a hearty applause. I couldn't help wishing E would come out and start the show right then; I was so inspired from the documentary that I was ready to give him a huge standing ovation even before he'd played a note. Alas, there was an intermission.

Fortunately I used the break to head to a nearby plaza around the back side of the Town Hall and try to score some candy. And who should I find but E and The Chet, smoking cigars at the back entrance. I shook E's hand and told him the documentary was inspirational. When he found out the purpose of my trip outside the venue, he ducked in the back door and came out with a whopping handful of chocolate. "Don't say I never gave you anything." I'd say that between this and the signature on my copy of "Things the Grandchildren Should Know" from the St. James's Church event in London ("From your good old pal, E"), E is a super nice guy and I am a pretty lucky dude.

Now, the moment of truth: what everyone came to the show for, and what you're probably reading this review for - the set! If you're unable to see the Evening with Eels tour, go ahead and read all of the following. If you will be seeing the show, I would advise skipping the description and being surprised. It's an exceptionally intimate Eels performance, with E playing solo a few times and joined by The Chet on a myriad of instruments for the duration of the set.

My seat was actually great for this show, but the stage looks deceptively far away in the videos and the quality on the zooms gets downright repulsive. Still, the audio is crystal clear for the most part. Enjoy the setlist and my twenty-odd minutes of the marvelous night of Everettian rock.

Setlist

1) Packing Blankets (E came out and played alone on guitar)

2) It's a Motherfucker (E alone on piano)

-Conversational interlude:
"We partied with the Queen in London all last night."
An applause-meter test to determine whether E and The Chet should play music or discuss physics - either of which they could do adequately for the duration of the night, according to E. When music won with blaring cheers, E quipped, "Take that, dad."

3) Strawberry Blonde (The Chet joined E on stage; duet with them both on guitar and vocals)

4) Daisies of the Galaxy - video here

5) After the Operation (so began a healthy representation of the "Useless Trinkets" material)

6) Souljacker Pt. 1 (The Chet on slide guitar. Very bluesy, excellent version. E busted out the "hah-ahh" style screams ala "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" like there was no tomorrow) - partial video here

7) Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor (The Chet playing the saw. Great to see this song.)

8) A Dog's Life (The Chet on drums. One of my favorites on "Useless Trinkets," so this was fun)

9) My Beloved Monster (The Chet on drums. Blasting, heavy chorus with pounding drums and distorted guitar. The Chet abandoned the skins to rock the solo on guitar at the end.)

10) I Like Birds

-Fan mail interlude: Two loving lady fans ("Come give me a private concert, I will do anything for you" and "Hey E, I like birds, too! My son can't stop dancing to your song, 'I Like Birds.' We all like birds!") and a die-hard Australian fan angrily berating E for only making it to Perth once. The letter's ending was hilarious: "'Blinking Lights' had two good songs, you suck."
-A fan shouted out during a quiet moment of E's fan-mail reading and E shot off the lightning-fast reply, "Ma'am, do not talk to us."
-E then moved on to reading a few concert reviews, the last of which turned out to be an Eagles review. Yelling back to the roadie, "Do you even know who you work for?!" A good gag.
-E then asked The Chet to read "from my bestselling autobiography." The Chet read the section about E driving cross-country to California, staying with a friend, and meeting Angie Dickinson on his first trip into Hollywood.

11) I Need Some Sleep (E returned to piano)

12) The Sound of Fear (E still on piano, The Chet on drums. Excellent version.) - video here

-Another reading by The Chet: the section in the novel about E's landlady seeing the ghost of his just-deceased sister enter his apartment. Since it inspired Last Stop: This Town, the song logically came after.

13) Last Stop: This Town (E back on guitar, The Chet on xylophone or maybe chimes) - video here

14) I Want to Protect You

15) Flyswatter (A seven-minute rendition with E and The Chet trading drum/piano spots while playing. It was incredible, probably rivaling any of the best versions ever done of the song.) - video here

16) Bus-Stop Boxer (E still on piano, very nice)

17) Novocaine for the Soul - (E returned to the drum kit and played while singing this song. Awesome!) - video here

18) Good Times, Bad Times (Led Zeppelin cover. The Chet played guitar and sang, E remained on drums)

19) Somebody Loves You

20) Souljacker Pt. II (E on piano, The Chet on the saw)

-Band left briefly, E returned for encore

21) Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley cover. E alone on piano) - video here

-E left, returned with The Chet

22) Blinking Lights (For Me) (E on guitar, The Chet on mandolin. Absolutely brilliant.)

-Zach Dionne