CALGARY -- For a long time, there was a part of me that wanted to tell Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz to lighten up. I didn't need to. While the lyrical content of his songs tend to focus on the melancholy side of everyday existence, his performance at the Jack Singer Concert Hall last night proved that even he can look at the bright side. Clad in a casual, dark-grey outfit with his trademark cornrow hair, Duritz stood atop monitors, did low-flying scissor kicks across the stage and sang passionately to the sold-out crowd. Surprisingly, the band put a few of its most popular hits -- including Mr. Jones -- at the beginning of the set. That provided a quick adrenalin rush, but unfortunately, the comedown quickly followed. The Crows shifted gear to their all-too-familiar mid-tempo beat, which can become monotonous at a live venue. Besides Duritz, the six other band members lacked real stage presence, even though Duritz made an effort to include them in his spotlight. Although they weren't much to watch, they sounded slick, with a loose Southern feel. Too bad they didn't have a few more barn-burners in their repertoire. One of the best pop bands around these days, the Gigolo Aunts, opened the show with their unabashedly lively pop-rock. The Boston four-piece came across like Sloan's far-less-retro American cousins, complete with all the tasty pop hooks you can handle. Singer Dave Gibbs easily won over the crowd with his relaxed and charming between-song banter. He was genuinely surprised when one fellow in the front row had actually heard of the band. He seemed equally thrilled with the boisterous response from the rest of the crowd. The band's absolute knack for melody and sweet 'n' sour vocal harmonies were evident in songs like Come On, Come On and The Big Lie. Though they stuck mostly to the latest album, Minor Chords and Major Themes -- put out on Duritz's E Pluribus Unum label -- they threw in one oldie from their 1994 CD, Flippin' Out, the gloriously catchy Where I Find My Heaven. The raucous standing ovation they re-ceived was entirely justified.