CALGARY -- More often than not, less is definitely more.

 Anyone wanting to bask in the truth of that statement should have been at The Tea Party show last night at the U of C's MacEwan Hall.

 The last time I caught the band live was a couple of years ago when they hooked up with the CPO, some ethnic dancers and other unlike artists for a rather ambitious and somewhat overblown concert. While the results were interesting, the music and the band were obscured by the spectacle.

 Last night, in front a sold-out crowd of 1,800 The Tea Party, much like U2 successfully did last year, pulled back.

 Following the lead of their latest and best album, The Interzone Mantras, the Canadian trio reined in the artiness.

 They stripped away much of -- though not all of -- the middle eastern influences and world music window-dressing and became more. More interesting, more rocking, more entertaining and much more successful.

 Frontman and songwriter Jeff Martin curtailed the dramatics in order to concentrate on emoting with that scotch-on-the-rocks voice of his.

 The stage was also more simple. Even the light show and screen projection were a little little less.

 That's not to say the band didn't keep some excess in theirzz stellar set.

 They just kept the good excess.

 Man in black Martin let his guitar roam freely, swirling around the exceptional rhythm section of Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows, who themselves seemed more relaxed and at home being a simpler rock band.

 The songs themselves, many of which came from The Interzone Mantras, also kept the proper element of excess, evolving when needed into lengthy, dark rock epics.

 Even the promised two-hour set was a case of the right kind of more.

 About the only time The Tea Party really faltered was about 45 minutes into the show when they pulled it too far back to preform a brief acoustic set that included a bare-bones version of the song Walking Wounded. Sure it sounded nice, but at that point in the evening when the crowd was as wired as they were, people just wanted a bit ... more.

 Opening act Fifth Season would also do well to learn the evening's lesson. Somewhere inside of the Edmonton quartet's mediocre set is a pretty good band.

 When they dropped the obnoxious posturing, when they lost the abrasive and unnecessary guitar noodling and when they toned things down just a little, they gave the crowd a glimpse of a band that's a step above the young crew of new rock acts. The band can write a melody and can play with power.

 Though the vocalist has some pipes, when it comes to his frat boy banter, forget less -- none would be far more recommended. (More on: The Tea Party).