TORONTO - As a heavy rain poured down on Toronto, Saturday night, the talk was of how droves of fans were flocking to the MuchMusic building on Queen Street to watch The Tragically Hip perform an "Intimate & Interactive" session at the nation's music station.

Just a short street-car ride east of where The Hip faithful had converged, another kind of "intimate & interactive" was going on. Gordie Johnson & Kelly Hoppe of Big Sugar veered off into new musical territory to play an acoustic set before a sparse but appreciative crowd at Toronto's Opera House.

Gordie Johnson, unplugged? The same man who reportedly blew a Marshall amp at this year's Canadian Music Week? Would faithful Big Sugar fans greet the Hugo Boss-outfitted, guitar virtuoso with the same cold, indignant response that Bob Dylan received when he he made the opposite switch and plugged in at Newport so many moons ago?

Such was not the case Saturday night. A benefit concert for War Child, an organization that draws attention to the plight of children in zones of armed conflict, the Johnson-Hoppe acoustic set produced startling results, which were hungrily eaten up by the crowd that came to see this stripped down version of Big Sugar.

As fans slowly trickled in from out of the rain into the Opera House, Johnson and Hoppe took to the stage. Bathed in a sea of coloured lights, the duo welcomed the crowd with "Tommy Johnson" off of Big Sugar's 1996 CD, "Hemi-Vision". The guitar riff-based tune received a radical alteration here, as Johnson's pizzicato banjo playing and accompanying foot-stomping took it into rockabilly territory.

"Opem Up Baby" and "Diggin' a Hole" followed, receiving the same reworking on the banjo that the opener did. The fervent, blues-like harmonica playing these numbers are noted for on "Hemi-Vision" were nowhere to be found, as Hoppe turned it down a notch, playing with a great deal of sensitivity that perfectly complemented Johnson's competent banjo work.

From there, the duo reached back to the band's 1992's self-titled debut album, thrilling die-hard fans who were eager to hear some older material. Drawing upon their blues and gospel roots and influences, the duo obliged with "Motherless Children", a blues standard that's been in the band's repertoire forever. Switching from banjo to acoustic guitar, Johnson mesmerized the audience with his slide-playing on this number, conjuring up mental images of blues pioneer, and slide-guitar legend Robert Johnson.

Seamlessly, Johnson took on the aura of an old blues storyteller as the duo rolled through "Goodbye Train" and "So Many Roads". These two numbers changed the dynamic of the show entirely. With its muted lighting and feeling of an informal gathering at a local coffee house, the concert became more like a casual conversation among good friends.

No longer were Johnson and Hoppe performers perched on their stools on a stage looking down an assembled audience. Instead, they were just two guys amongst old friends who had pulled out their guitar and harmonica to entertain. The warmth generated by both sides permeated every crack and crevice of the music hall, as more fans moved to the front floor section, creating an even more intimate feeling.

The duo reached way back into their repertoire with a stirring reading of "Sleep in Late", a slow blues-shuffle from their '92 debut. It was met with roaring applause from an audience that appreciated the tribute to the band's earlier work.

A few numbers later, Johnson and Hoppe performed "Joe Louis/Judgement Day" from "Hemi-Vision." The reggae-beat number was totally reworked in this acoustic setting, taking on a folk-like sound that amazed everybody.

Moments later came "100 cigarettes" from 1998's "Heated". Providing the first sing-along opportunity, the audience obliged helping out Johnson on the "While I sit counting my regrets/I'm going to smoke 100 cigarettes" refrain. It was a lovely dialogue between both audience and performer, further underscoring the informal, friendly atmosphere the show had taken on.

Like any "regular" Big Sugar show, no performance would be complete without the show-closing "Ride Like Hell". The orgasmic rocker, after all, is to Big Sugar what "Jumping Jack Flash" is to the Stones, or "Rainy Day Women #12 & #35" is to Dylan.

And so they played it. But this was a different version. The driving bass line, the cracking drum beat and, of course, the fervent guitar licks were nowhere to be found. Instead, this interpretation breathed new life into the song. Johnson's subtle, understated playing and Hoppe's gentle harp-blowing turned this from the hard hitting rock anthem into a gentle, emotional finale.

The tandem then exited the stage, only to return moments later for an encore. The familiar strains of "Wild Ox Moan" came forth from the stage, as Johnson's voice pierced the smoke-filled air, causing even the bartenders at both sides of the Opera House to stop cleaning glasses and look up behind the bar.

It was a beautiful interpretation that managed to perfectly cap off the evening and help redefine the term "intimate and interactive."

While the Kingston, Ont., band down the street received more attention for their set, it can be safely said that, on this night, Johnson and Hoppe trumped the Hip's efforts at an "intimate and interactive" in spades.

JAM! Rating: 5 out of 5