TORONTO -- The idea of Wilco performing a 40-minute late afternoon set at the massive Molson Amphitheatre as part of Lollapalooza might have seemed like a good idea at the time.

But reality is sometimes far better than fantasy.

The band, touring behind A Ghost Is Born, delivered a splendid two-hour show Tuesday evening at the sold-out Mod Club Theatre. And the small, intimate setting suited the hushed, sparser moments of the set just fine.

Led by singer and guitarist Jeff Tweedy -- dressed like a man transformed by the probable forthcoming TV series Queer Eye For The Amish Guy -- the sextet began the night with Muzzle Of Bees from the new album. The folk-rock style of the track morphed into a wall of sound thanks to guitarist Nels Cline. The song's ebb and flow between soft and bombastic was a sign of things to come.

"How you doing?" Tweedy asked the crowd before starting A Shot In The Arm from the band's Summerteeth album. The loud responses were consistent through most of the night despite the fact songs prior to 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot were few and far between.

Although the band's history has made both a great book and documentary film already, Wilco continue to forge into areas that please themselves first and foremost. This was apparent during Hummingbird as Tweedy, holding the microphone and looking somewhat lost sans guitar, rounded out the Beatles-tinged song by jogging on the spot before taking a bow. Another early highlight was Hell Is Chrome which featured the sullen and bleak verses tempered with Tweedy and Cline trading guitar riffs comparable to Pink Floyd's David Gilmour in the middle portion.

Tweedy, who recently overcame an addiction to painkillers, seemed quite comfortable whether strumming an acoustic guitar and letting Cline do the work or having bassist John Stirratt lend harmony vocals on mellower pop songs like Jesus, Etc. Before the song, Tweedy also took the opportunity to mention former Wilco and current Blue Rodeo member Bob Egan. Tweedy jokingly said he had asked Egan to join them onstage but Egan refused, citing Tweedy's reportedly authoritarian style.

Only once did Wilco seem to suffer from a hit-and-miss in the setlist. After an enthralling At Least That's What You Said -- which featured Tweedy playing the guitar as if the instrument was playing him -- Wilco dropped the ball with a '70s era soul effort called Company In My Back.

Another strike against them was virtually ignoring much of their back catalog. Playing 10 songs off the new album and six from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot left fans with little else from Being There or Summerteeth and nothing from the band's debut A.M. While they aren't the same group in terms of lineup, a few older nuggets wouldn't have hurt.

Facetiously asking fans if they were happy with all the hits Wilco had played, Tweedy looked around and listened to fans shouting requests. "I appreciate the assistance," he said with a grin before starting Theologians.

Rounding off the main set was the rather funky and groovy I'm The Man Who Loves You, Poor Places and the quirky but lengthy Spiders (Kidsmoke) that had won over the few naysayers remaining.

Two more encores included tracks like Via Chicago and The Lonely 1, but by then Wilco had proven why they are one of the best bands around.

JAM! Rating: 4 out of 5