"We gotta go! We gotta go!" I exclaimed in a panic as I finished cleaning up the dishes after a wonderful steak dinner I had prepared for Melissa and me.

"Geeves, it's only 4:45...doors don't open until 6:30," she said. Being from Iowa, Melissa didn't know too much about the afternoon rush hour in Chicago. To me, traffic around the city was like a box of chocolates; you just didn't know what you were gonna get. With a pre-show meet and greet at stake, this was "An Evening With Jars of Clay" I didn't want to miss.

We arrived at the Vic Theatre, located on the city's north side, about 15 minutes after the doors opened. Fortunately, we found out that the meet and greet was moved until after the show. The main floor was full, yet the balcony wasn't open. If I had to eyeball it, I'd say 600-700 people were present. On a side note, it ended up that we had an extra pass to the meet and greet, so we scoped around and randomly gave it away to a lucky fan. Melissa and I ordered our beverages and the show was about to begin.

The lights went down and immediately an instrumental cello solo was heard throughout the PA system. After a minute or two, the band walked out on stage to a roaring ovation from the crowd of mostly college students and older. The band began on a rock note with I Need You, Flood, Crazy Times, and Show You Love, similar to the fall leg of the "Thinking Man's Pop Tour" in 2003. There was not one electric guitar in sight, yet with the upbeat tempo of the performances, it certainly wasn't missed. The sight of guitarists Matt Odmark and Steve Mason jamming to the beat got the crowd almost off their feet. The only difference I noticed was that keyboardist Charlie Lowell was back to using a keyboard instead of the upright piano. It was a change for the better because it added more flavor to the entire set.

"Well, Chicago," lead singer Dan Haseltine said as he looked at his watch, "The ball is gone." Of course, he was referring to the infamous foul ball that was caught by a fan during Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. It was scheduled to be destroyed that very same evening. As the crowd cheered, Haseltine added, "Being a Boston fan, I know what it's like to be cursed. Let's hope this ends all curses so we can see a Cubs-Red Sox World Series this October. Cheers!"

Things slowed down and the crowd was silenced with The Valley Song, the band's only single from Furthermore, which led to Haseltine's describing his fascination of classic rock and bluegrass growing up in Boston, which led to Amazing Grace. It, being one of my least favorites from their latest project, Who We Are Instead, has quickly grown on me and I'm hoping this will stay on the setlist for a long time. After noting the band's ten years of existence, Haseltine's vocals have become much more confident. The ever-happy Sunny Days ended the first 1/3 of the show.

Next came their now infamous "hat selections." Songs are thrown into a hat and Haseltine lets audience members pick them out. It's starting to become a tradition that I hope doesn't end. The hat was somewhat of a homecoming for Melissa and me, as we were the "adoptive parents" of the hat. It was made by a fellow Jark, and given to the band during a meet and greet of their last tour. The band enjoys talking about the hat as if it's an actual living thing. "Well, at the last show the hat was feeling a bit mellow. Tonight, it's feeling a bit nostalgic," Haseltine said. The first selections were Disappear, He, I'm Alright, and Frail. I was ecstatic to see that He has been dusted off. The percussion of Joe Porter brought in a new feel to the song that really added a nice touch. Haseltine got funky during the "Yeah, yeah, yeahs" of I'm Alright. Trying to be funny, I felt that he may have taken it a little too far. Yet, I was in awe that he was able to hit such high notes.

The second half of hat selections were The Eleventh Hour, followed by Lonely People and All I Want Is You (from the recently released U2 tribute compilation). I was really surprised about the crowd's reaction to The Eleventh Hour. I must have heard four or five people say, "I love that song!" And they're right, too. I think it's one of the bands most underrated songs. I was quite impressed by All I Want Is You. I didn't care for their recent recording of it, but Haseltine's vocal fillers and the rest of the band's stage presence really drove the song so much that I didn't want it to end.

The two-hour set ended with Trouble Is and the required fan favorite, Worlds Apart. After experiencing Trouble Is live for the second time, I have come to believe that it's quickly becoming a fan favorite similar to what Flood did in the mid-1990s. Just like with Flood, it took only a few notes for the crowd to recognize it.

After a long standing ovation (actually, everything was standing....there were no chairs!), the band came out to do a two-song encore that included Love Song For A Savior, which will never get old due to the audience participation and I'll Fly Away. Steve Mason even contributed some lead vocals on the final number, which added a light airy feel to the song.

Overall, it was just another wonderful Jars of Clay concert. Due to the fact that I had seen them less than three months ago, I didn't expect an entirely different show. Highlights of the show were He and Trouble Is. I was most happy about the length of the show as this was the longest Jars of Clay show I've ever attended. After the band left the stage, I thought, "Man, they sure have come a long way."

And they're headed in the right direction.