Photo courtesy of Sound on the Sound’s Abbey SimmonsI suppose when expectations are too high and affections too great for a live performer, you truly are setting yourself up for potential disappointment. This is not to say Rodriguez wasn’t spine-tingling and magical last night; he certainly was. The psych freak-out before the final verse of “Sugar Man”? Impressively ornate. The percussion on “Crucify Your Mind”? Stunningly faithful to the original (sounded just like vibes, but I couldn’t see if it was from where I was sitting). The man’s vocals on “I Wonder” and randy emphasis on the lyric ‘I wonder how many times you’ve had sex?’. Priceless mirth. The fact that he did “I Think of You”, my favorite song off of Coming From Reality and the current soundtrack to my life? Highlight of the evening (aside from getting complimented on my laugh from Sixto himself whilst incased in his firm hug). However, there were definitely some missteps, both on the venue and band’s part, I’m afraid.Maybe things sounded better up front, but in the back of the venue where I was, the mix was maddeningly off from time to time (a bizarre rarity for the Triple Door, as was the fact that ordering a glass of wine and dinner was no easy task). The keys/synths were overwhelming nearly everything at one moment and guitars dropped out at terribly inopportune times, particularly during the first handful of songs in the set. Rodriguez has glaucoma and has had to deal with the effects of multiple cataract surgeries, so I’m sure his vision is a big challenge for both himself and the band. A couple of times it seemed evident that his primary guitar player was trying to show him where they were in the song, and a bridge or two (and some critical chords) got lost in translation. Don’t get me wrong, this was certainly more heartbreaking than irritating, because I could tell it was probably entirely due to struggles with his eyesight, but it was obvious it took the band and myself out of the moment.All that said, it was a thrill and an honor just to witness such a phenomenal artist wheel through almost his entire catalog. And all due props to his backing band–primarily comprised of members of the Fresh and Onlys–but his solo rendition of “Jane S. Piddy” at the end was so gorgeous in it’s simplicity that it made me yearn to see him do a set entirely on his own. Set list (courtesy of Matt Sullivan):Inner City BluesI WonderTo Whom It May ConcernCrucify Your MindOnly Good For ConversationSugar ManRich Folks HoaxLike JanisI Think of YouEstablishment BluesYou’d Like to Admit ItClimb Up On My MusicForget ItEncore:I’m Gonna Live Till I DieCan’t Get AwayJane S. Piddy