FIRST came Laurel and Hardy, two blokes in tight suits being stupid

slowly. Then came the rhythm and the blues, and Sam and Dave, and the

guitar that changed the world. Then came the Blues Brothers, Jake and

Elwood, two blokes in shades and pork-pie hats being dumb quickly to r &

b and the guitar that changed the world. One Blues Brother died, but the

movie and the music wouldn't, and the image of the two guys in shades

got hijacked to sell uncool lager. And then most of the band in the

film, minus Jake and Elwood, went on tour.

And I got confused. Comedy or rock? Lager or liberation? Living r & b

or facile nostalgia?

Luckily, Steve Cropper, the guitar man who changed the world, is not

befuddled by such angst. Nope. Aided by old-time Memphis

co-revolutionary Duck Dunn, Cropper last night simply cranked out the

same no-waste percussive funk he has since Stax's heyday, since he last

played in Glasgow, 23 years ago.

Then Cropper had Otis. Now he has Eddie Floyd, who wasn't Otis then

and still isn't, and Larry Thurston, who isn't Otis either. There are

brilliant bits, including a father-and-son Jake-and-Elwood lookalike

team being plucked from the stalls, and not- brilliant bits.

Nevertheless, the grand circle moved up and down under the crowd's

excitement . . . oh, and of course Steve Cropper's guitar can still

change the world. Nostalgia it wasn't.