The band revisited all of its classic tracks. Most effective were the brooding "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" and a heart-rending version of "Tomorrow, Wendy" from the band's 1990 album, Bloodletting.
But Concrete Blonde didn't just rely on tried-and-true crowd pleasers.
The band made an interesting choice for a cover when it played a rocked-up version of George Harrison's "Beware of Sadness." The mark of a great band is when the group can transform a legend's lilting ballad into something with teeth and grit without losing any of the song's original power.
Even tracks from the unimpressive Group Therapy were transformed into brilliant nuggets of inspired rock, with "Violent" and "When I Was A Fool" setting an assured foot between Concrete Blonde's set of live classics.
But it was the tough-as-nails "Still in Hollywood" that brought the crowd to its knees. With Mankey and special guest, Steve Wynn, providing a rousing backup chorus, Napolitano shook with rage through the world-weary '80s anthem.
Throughout the show, it was difficult to believe that the wall of sound filling the Cradle was the product of only two instruments. The combination of Mankey's virtuoso guitar thunder and Napolitano's fluent bass lines roared through the audience. Compared to their reigned-in sound on the past few albums, the bombast was unexpected.
In fact, Concrete Blonde's live show turned the tables on their recorded performances. Though Mankey's mammoth guitar-playing has always been impressive, it was Napolitano who really came alive on stage.
On disc, her vocals can sometimes feel washed out in the mix. But live, she exudes a legendary presence swooping around the stage like a banshee, contorting her face around each tortured syllable and assuming characters for her songs.
In the flamenco-tinged "Mexican Moon," Napolitano phrased the lyrics like lines from a script, conversing with her lost lover. And in the candid "I Don't Need A Hero" Napolitano's eyes glazed in passion as she railed against her overbearing other.
Sunday night's show proved that Concrete Blonde's reunion is no fluke. The band still radiates the kind of energy that puts bands in the history books.
And judging from the response to the sold-out shows the band has been playing across the country, don't be surprised if this is one comeback you won't regret.
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The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
