It’s funny how DBT’s shows at First Ave are starting to seem repetitive, what with the whiskey bottle and the non-stop pace through 2-1/2 hours and Patterson always saying how happy he is to be there (and no doubt he is). However, when it comes to the set lists, they’re constantly changing them. Even the songs here that they’ve done lots of times before, like “18 Wheels of Love” and “Road Cases,” were newly rekindled with the stories Patterson told beforehand.

To be honest, when they started up “18 Wheels” I was thinking I’d heard it enough, but then he added the sort of “Part II” or epilogue to the story about Chester’s death (his 350 lb. stepdad), and it nearly brought me to tears, it was just damn beautiful. The cover of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died” is an all-too fitting finale after “Let There Be Rock” and (now) “18 Wheels” and all the other songs about death in the DBT canon.

Here’s the list:

 Puttin’ People on the Moon  /  3 Dimes Down  /  That Man I Shot  /  Self-Destructive Zones  /  The Company I Keep  /  Ghost to Most  /  I’m Sorry Huston  /  Road Cases  /  72 (This Highway’s Mean)  /  Righteous Path  /  Love Like This  /  The Living Bubba  /  Zip City  /  Ronnie & Neil  /  Hell No, I Ain’t Happy  /  Gravity’s Gone 

ENCORE: Women Without Whiskey  /  18 Wheels of Love  /  Marry Me  /  Home Field Advantage  /  Let There Be Rock  /  People Who Died

Seriously, I’d love to get a bootleg of this show from any of the folks who had the recording towers. Please email me, chrisr@startribune.com, I might have some things worth trading.

After reading about Hag’s tours in recent years opening for Bob Dylan, George Jones and Willie Nelson, I kind of expected him to coast. Far from it. He was in the moment, alert, funny, spontaneous. His thin voice isn’t as forceful as it used to be, but he delivered his poetic words with a distinctive soulfulness. My only complaint: He should have played longer than 63 minutes.

Here is the set list:

1. Mama Tried 2. Silver Wings 3. I Think I’ll Stay Here and Drink 4. White Line Fever 5. Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star 6. If I Could Only Fly 7. Rainbow Stew 8. Going Where the Lonely Go 9. Workin’ Man Blues 10. Today I Started Loving You Again 11. Mama’s Prayer 12. If I Had a Little Girl 13. Are the Good Times Really Over 14. Jackson (duet w/ his wife Theresa, whom he called “June” because it’s a June Carter/Johnny Cash hit 15. Motorcycle Cowboy 16.  The Fightin Side of Me 17. Ramblin Fever 18. Okie from Muskogee

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A sign of just how much her career has nosedived in recent years, Liz Phair has resorted to putting out a 15th anniversary edition of her critically lauded debut “Exile in Guyville” this month with bonus tracks. When did 15 years become rehash time? She took it one step further by performing the album in its entirety over the past week in Chicago and in New York.

I came to appreciate Phair on later albums when she actually developed musical chops, especially “Whitechocolatespaceegg.” I even trumpeted her music after she proved to be a dim, bratty interview subject backstage at a Lilith Fair in the mid-90s. But then I came to completely loath her when she dressed up her sound with glossy production and undressed for her promo photos for 2003’s eponymous CD.

But through all that, my view on “Exile” never changed. It’s an example of what’s wrong with so many nerdy, homebound guys becoming rock critics. How fitting that Pitchfork Media be a modern purveyor of the album. Most critics were so turned on by Phair’s sexually explicit lyrics they didn’t get tunred off by the fact that her singing is off-tune and awkward through much of the record. Who cares if she can’t sing worth a damn if she’s promising you terrific oral sex! They also ate up the album’s supposed tie-in to the Stones’ “Exile on Main Street,” which was mostly bogus. “Guyville” had attitude and hip value, but it simply wasn’t an enjoyable listen. And it still isn’t. Don’t believe the hype… from 15 years ago, or today!  

Not only did Lucinda seem to be in a better mood than usual last night, she was also in better-than-average voice. She simply nailed a few of the tunes, including “I Lost It” and the writhing delivery of “Unsuffer Me.” Her band was not the best it’s been, sounding sluggish at times, but guitarist Doug Pettibone was still mighty and gritty in “Out of Touch,” “Essence” and several more. Look for the full concert review at www.startribune.com/music.

Funny thing about the band members: They played without Lucinda in the opening slot as the Buick 6, which is causing much confusion with another band of that same name from London. Those guys definitely weren’t British, although they did do a mean version of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.”

I really enjoyed Lucinda’s new stuff, especially “Little Rock Star” and “Real Love,” plus I’m still enamored with the songs from last year’s album “West.” However, I wish she would go back and pick a couple songs from her two pre-”Car Wheels” albums at her shows (the eponomyous one and “Sweet Old World”). Here’s what she did play:

Rescue  /  Ventura  /  Circles and X’s*  /  I Lost It  /  Tears of Joy*  /  Right in Time / Real Love*  /  Out of Touch  /   Essence  /  Little Rock Star*  /  Real Live Bleeding Fingers  /  Come On  /  Honey Bee*  /  Joy 

ENCORE:  Heaven Blues * /  Unsuffer Me  /  It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)

* = new/unreleased songs

No, they weren’t in concert together. John Hiatt appeared with his new backup trio, the Useless Beauties, at the packed Pantages. He never gives a bad show, and this one was good but not great. Hiatt was his usual humorous and likable self but the band was too relaxed, missing the intensity of previous Hiatt ensembles such as the North Mississippi Allstars or the Goners (especially disappointing was the restrained finale “Thing Called Love”).

Hiatt did several tunes from his new CD, “Same Old Man.” The best one was “Old Days,” in which he reminisced about his early touring days opening for John Lee Hooker, Mose Allison and Gatemouth Brown. He delivered it with a voice that evoked Randy Newman’s if he’d spent his salad days in smokey clubs. Hiatt’s influences were often obvious. He admitted to copping a Neil Diamond rhythm for “Slow Turning” (which actually sounded almost Monkees-like; yes, Neil wrote “I’m a Believer”). Other songs evoked the Stones and Dylan. Still, a good time was had by all.

Impressive was unadvertised opener Molly Maher, the local singer-songwriter who is becoming more and more like Lucinda Williams. That’s a good thing. Maher’s closing tune, which I think is called “I’ll Forget About You,” was a great song delivered before one of the great songwriters took the stage. Maher’s tune has country hit written all over it.

After two hours of Hiatt, I headed over to the Dakota to catch the last 35 minutes of The E Family, featuring Sheila E. Sitting in on vocals was, as her father Pete Escovedo said: “St. Paul Peterson Escovedo.” What a fun and first-rate party band! Sheila encored with a solo drums-and-voice version of “Glamorous Life” and then did “A Love Bizarre” and the Family’s “Screams of Passion” with Paul. Maybe they’ll do “Nothing Compares 2 U” tonight (Sunday). I’ll be there to check it out.

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The reaction of the audience and this critic were pretty much the same at the Minnesota Zoo on Thursday night: James Hunter, a relative newcomer in the States, was more impressive than Irma Thomas, the New Orleans soul legend.

British singer-guitarist Hunter turned on the charm with his facile between-song humor and his retro blues/R&B sound that echoed Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles and Van Morrison. Highlights: The “5″ Royales’ “Baby Don’t Do It,” with all kinds of drama and JB-like screams, and “Believe Me Baby,” a Ray Charles cop with a New Orleans vibe. Good show. Hunter will be back at the Zoo on Aug. 13, opening for Chris Isaak.

As for Thomas’ headline set, it had a lazy New Orleans feel. There wasn’t much verve to her performance, and she hardly broke a sweat. After nearly every song, a handful of concertgoers got up and left. As one woman who stayed for the entire set put it: “I wanted to see more legend.”

There were definitely some rewarding moments, including a sassy “Time Is on My Side,” “Loving Arms” (with some soulful call and response between Irma’s voice and the B3 organ), the spirited “Breakaway” and the festive New Orleans party finale “Sing It.”

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