Finally he relieves the tension with a haunting, full out version of the chords he's been teasing. It doesn't rock out like the one we're used to on the radio. It chills. He does not try to duplicate the band, but instead plays the hits in the same echoing acoustic style he employs for his current work. If you didn't know any other way, you'd never miss the band. The root melodies are strong, versatile and deeply catchy no matter how they're played.

If his hits are good, the songs from his newer solo career are even better. The talent that produced top 5 lyrics and melodies is given full flight with just his Griffin guitar and gravelly voice. The notes linger just where they should. He is a master of his instrument and microphone. He writes a perfect song and then he sings it perfectly. Though tending toward the melancholy, Hay's humor shows through in an occasional lighthearted tune such as "What Would Bob Do?," inspired by his lifelong dream to hang out with Bob Dylan while Dylan just fixes a car or goes to Costco.

Toward the end of the show his wife, Cecilia Noel joins him on the stage. Standing petite in her gauzy blouse, plaid schoolgirl skirt and fishnet tights, she croons background vocals that add an extra layer of depth to the already incredible songs. Noel has a career of her own as the lead singer of The Wild Clams, but tours with Hay much of the time. Adding a twist to the show, she acts out each song, arms flapping like wings when a bird is mentioned, or hands drawing a heart on her chest.

We left the show amazed. Amazed that we hadn't seen Colin Hay sooner, and amazed that his extraordinary music is relatively obscure. If Hay ever plays within a few hundred miles, go. The show is one of the best you'll ever see. And if you've heard of Men at Work, Garden State, or neither, his music is not to be missed. You'll put it on repeat, I promise.