Modern rock mainstays Cowboy Mouth and Better Than Ezra brought the bayou to the Millennium Center the evening of April 3, electrifying the intimate gathering of well-dressed fans.

Positioned front and center, Cowboy Mouth drummer and lead vocalist Fred LeBlanc set the tone for the evening by supplying palpable energy to old favorites "How Do You Tell Someone" and "Jenny Says" from their 1996 major label debut album Are You With Me?. More than once during the evening, the wild percussionist incited his audience by crying, "Everybody go insane!"

Even when he turned the mic over to birthday boy and lead guitarist John Thomas Griffith for "Everybody Loves Jill," LeBlanc's gyrations and wild tongue-flicking sent rooster tails of sweat and saliva arcing through the air and towards the crowd just feet away.

Guitarist Paul Sanchez braved a sore throat he attributed to "Two Louisiana bands touring together" to sing the humorous lyrics of "Hurricane Party." Later bassist Rob Savoy took pains to mouth out the chorus of "At the Foot of Canal" for the benefit of a confused fan trying to sing along.

Near the end of their hour-plus set, LeBlanc belted out a new song called "Friends" to advertise the release of their fourth studio album, due to hit shelves in several months. Concertgoer Jim Blevins of Greensboro called the song "just like their old stuff, and just as good."

Better Than Ezra overcame some early sound glitches on their way to performing a solid two-hour set. The New Orleans trio opened with new Closer hit "Misunderstood" and immediately followed it with their Deluxe breakthrough track, "Good," foreshadowing an evening that included a healthy variety of cuts from each of their four albums.

Selections from Closer, the band's first under independent label Beyond Music, came out far better live than as produced in the studio. "Rolling" and "Recognize" stood out as exemplary stylistic departures, and are sure to offer Ezralites nationwide something new to think about.