The most photographed safety curtain in recent Glasgow theatre history – featuring a projected image of a grizzled cowpoke "Gangster of Love" – gave way to reveal an improbably youthful looking and, more to the point, youthful-sounding Steve Miller.
Almost half the singer-guitar slinger's lifetime has passed since his last visit to Glasgow, an Apollo gig in the early-1980s, and since he's quite proud of his part-Scottish ancestry, that's borderline unforgiveable. But he'll be forgiven after this superior serving of blues-rooted rock.
To the blues he honed in Chicago as a teen, Miller added first psychedelia then an unashamed pop sensibility that eventually struck gold in the 1970s.
We got taken on a generous part of his journey here, with a smattering of songs from his recent return to blues and rhythm'n'blues material joining the hits.
And he and his superb, road-tested band didn't hang about, hardly drawing a breath in segueing from the bouncy Jungle Love to the summery Take the Money and Run.
Miller's voice may waver in strength at times but he has terrific vocal support, not least in former Checkmate Sonny Charles who contributed a spirited Further on up the Road, and choir-like band harmonies lit up oldies such as Living in the USA.
A solo acoustic spot delivered a brilliant, rascally Gangster of Love and a joyful hillbilly-esque Dance, Dance, Dance before the band reappeared for an extended Fly Like An Eagle, featuring great solo building skills from keyboardist Joseph Wooten and Miller on guitar, and an encore threesome culminating in The Joker as a triumphant party singalong.
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