The Centro-matic show at Off Broadway could have been a textbook example of an off-night in the life of a working band. Blame it on the fact that it was the day after a holiday, or that it was a school night, but the crowd was thin.

anthemic (an-the-mik)
adj.
(of a song) like an anthem in being rousing or uplifting.
See also: F*cked Up at the Firebird on Friday, July 1, 2011.

With a full-frontal entertainment assault on the audience, Elvis Costello and the Imposters went all out leaving the stage drenched in sweat while giving St. Louis fans at the nearly sold-out Pageant one of the best concerts they've ever seen.

The first time I laid eyes on Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder was 20 years ago at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, a venue around the same size as the Fox Theater. I had traveled with my college friends from Columbia to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour and Pearl Jam, a then unknown Seattle band was billed as the opener.

Elvis Costello and his band the Imposters allowed the crowd at the Pageant to make the set list for their most recent tour with the Spectacular Spinning Songbook, a wheel-o-chance that offered hand picked fans an opportunity to come on stage and spin the wheel.

It was a mellow evening at Off Broadway as Daniel Martin Moore started off the show with his soft melodies.

It was an evening of straightforward, acoustically driven rock & roll, with just a hint of nostalgia, when Toad the Wet Sprocket took the stage Monday night in the chilly confines of the Pageant.

The melting pot location between the north and south partly explains the appreciation running deep among local music fans for Southern-style rock. Little Feat -- with its mix of blues, country, rock and Cajun -- is one of several '70s bands that have kept St. Louis entertained for 40 years.

Last night Matt & Kim blew up the Pageant in St. Louis with just a synth keyboard and a drum set.

Last night at Off Broadway, if you leaned over to the next person to ask the traditional St. Louis get-to-know-you question -- "Where did you go to high school?" -- the overwhelming response would have been "Collinsville."