TORONTO - It might have been bone-chillingly cold outside Massey Hall Thursday night, but Blue Rodeo fans would've taken this over a warm summer night.

For the past number of years, a late August date at the Molson Amphitheatre has been almost a rite of passage for the roots rock/alt country band. Yet seeing them in such intimate confines made this evening a tad more memorable.

The opening night of Blue Rodeo's three-night stand at the hallowed venue in support of the band's latest album, Small Miracles, was basically half-acoustic, half-electric. Think of Bob Dylan's legendary 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert minus the shouts of "Judas!" and you'd get the gist of the two-hour show.

Led by Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, the six-piece band opened the night with the slow but steady Five Days In May, one of the many warhorses at the group's disposal. With a primarily sparse arrangement and drummer Glenn Milchem standing with brushes in hand over a lone snare drum, the group delved into Cryin', a delightful poppy number with fine harmonies by Keelor and Cuddy that resembled The Everly Brothers.

The typical give-and-take between the two front men was apparent from the onset, both giving each other space but quick to support the other during 3 Hours Away and Try, the latter Cuddy dedicated to the late Handsome Ned, one of the fixtures during the time Blue Rodeo was still kicking around Queen St. W.

While the band's biggest asset has been its consistency over the years, Blue Rodeo did change things up somewhat this time around. A hokey intro had a roadie walking onstage, putting on a vinyl record on a turntable and then relaxing prior to the band taking the stage. Fake snow also appeared during the encore effort Hasn't Hit Me Yet that earned a strong response from the near-capacity, generational-spanning audience.

Another difference was that some staples were omitted and no requests were taken despite shouts for Cynthia and Photograph. Instead, the band offered up a decent cover of The Bee Gees' To Love Somebody and Tell Me Your Dream, which had Keelor and Cuddy standing side by side performing the number a cappella. This was one-upped, though, later on by Keelor nailing a very tender Tom Waits-ish Dark Angel as keyboardist Bob Packwood added flourishes.

The second half of the evening had more punch and less polish as Keelor took the reins for a swinging but psychedelic-tinged Joker's Wild off the debut album Outskirts while C'mon featured Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland providing harmonies in the background.

As the home stretch began, Blue Rodeo went for the no-brainers such as Head Over Heels, What Am I Doing Here and Heart Like Mine, which had Cuddy pacing the lip of the stage as fans (okay, primarily ladies) filled the front.

Near the show's closing, both Cuddy and Keelor had their moment to shine, Cuddy on the soulful, piano-driven After The Rain while Keelor entered into Lost Together with support act Cuff The Duke, Doucet and McClelland onstage.