We know a guy who once had a ticket to see The Doors back in the '60s. Too bad it was for the show after Miami.

Miami, as any Doors fan worth his black leather pants knows, was The Doors' Waterloo. It was the gig where drug-addled lizard-king singer Jim Morrison (already skating on thin ice with his erratic and dangerously provocative antics) supposedly went over the top and exposed his, um, shortcomings right there onstage in mid-set.

After the show, Jimbo got busted. He got charged with lewd and lascivious conduct. And The Doors got temporarily banned from venues throughout the land. Including the one our pal had a seat in.

All together now: D'oh! (And people think The Barenaked Ladies postponing their show sucks.)

We know nothing could make up for not seeing The Doors. But for our friend (or anybody else who never got to see old Jimbo & co. in the flesh) the new Doors concert disc Bright Midnight: Live in America isn't a bad consolation prize. In fact, it's a pretty sweet deal: 14 songs from eight concerts in '69 and '70, during the band's final burst of glory before Jim went to that big bathtub in the sky 30 years ago this week.

Included on this 73-minute epic are plenty of the band's finest moments. There are the hits: Touch Me, Crystal Ship, Break on

Through, Roadhouse Blues, Alabama Song, Love Me Two Times. There are the covers: Alabama Song, Baby Please Don't Go, St. James Infirmary. There are long jams: An 11-minute version of Light My Fire and a 16-minute rendition of The End that's fairly riveting (even if Jim doesn't do the whole Oedipal scene). There are short, sharp shots: Two-minute blasts of Back Door Man and Love Hides.

There's Jim in full effect: Shrieking, howling, yowling, barking, bellowing.

There are also a few surprises. No. 1: The band is tighter than you'd expect. For a trio, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robbie Krieger are a pretty formidable combo. None of them are doing a whole helluva lot here, but somehow they weave these sparse elements into a coherent, textured tapestry that wraps itself around Morrison's throaty baritone. Which brings us to surprise No. 2: Old Jim is a better singer than you'd expect. Especially since he's probably on more drugs than Elvis and Hunter Thompson combined. Surprise No. 3: The sound is better than you'd expect. Most of these gigs have been available on bootlegs for decades. Assorted cuts have also surfaced on various official releases from time to time. But none we've heard has sounded quite as clean, crisp and well-separated as this.

The best surprise: Live in America is just the tip of the iceberg. All the concerts (and a few more) are being individually issued by the band's own Bright Midnight label. Some are already available on the Web at www.thedoors.com. Don't be surprised if a few surface eventually in stores.

All in all, what more could a Doors fan want? Except maybe a decent recording of that Miami gig.

Track Listing 1. Light My Fire - Philadelphia
2. Been Down So Long - Detroit
3. Back Door Man - Phittsburgh
4. Love Hides - Pittsburgh
5. Five To One - Pittsburgh
6. Touch Me - Hollywood
7. The Crystal Ship - Hollywood
8. Break On Through (To The Other Side) - New York
9. Bellowing - Boston
10. Roadhouse Blues - Boston
11. Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) - New York
12. Love Me Two Times/Baby Please Don't Go/St James Infirmary - Bakersfield (Stage Recording)
13. The End - Detroit