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I will never forget the first time I saw Adam Again. It was 1988, and I was at a three-day Christian-music festival outside Hamilton, Ontario that, despite its small size, had a very impressive lineup--Steve Taylor, The Choir, the Altar Boys, Bloodgood, Daniel Band, Servant, Barren Cross, and a host of others. You young 'uns might not recognize most of those names, but in the mid-to-late '80s, that was an incredible list.

Being twenty years old, I was under the impression that the only way to properly do a festival was to see everything. So my friend Dave and I stayed up until midnight to see a band we hadn't even heard of. I was not disappointed. Gene Eugene, Riki Michele, Gene Lawless, Paul Valdez, and John Knox put together one of the most amazing concerts I will ever see. It's a testimony to my inherent lack of rhythm that I stayed seated through the whole amazing show, for Eugene and Co. laid down one of the fiercest beats seen this side of a Prince concert. I didn't know any of the songs, but I distinctly remember a smokin', long version of "Every Word I Say."

The next year, my first Cornerstone, Adam Again kicked off the main stage with another mind-blowing, if truncated, set. Promoting its groundbreaking album Ten Songs, the band ignored the blazing sun and generated some heat of its own with "Ain't No Sunshine," "Eyes Wide Open," and, especially, "Tree House."

I've often told anyone who would listen that Adam Again was the greatest live band I've ever had the privilege of seeing. Anyone who saw its unbelievable Encore Stage appearance in 1994 (or was it '95?) would back me up. Two-and-a-half hours long and covering all four of their albums released up to that point, it was an example of a great act at the peak of its powers. With Gene leading the band, John and Paul pounding out the rhythm, and Riki dancing like a dervish, Adam Again whipped the crowd into a love-fest frenzy.

So when Cornerstone announced that Adam Again would play at the 2000 festival, that immediately became the show to see. A couple months later, however, the news came that Gene Eugene had died of a brain aneurysm, and suddenly this hotly anticipated show was thrown into limbo. Following the adage that the show must go on and realizing the need that the fans had to grieve, Riki and the boys decided to use their Cornerstone slot for a tribute to the force behind Adam Again.

Late night on Friday, July 7 was a bittersweet time. Riki Michele took the stage, obviously emotional but also determined to make the concert a celebration of Gene's musical life. Joining her on-stage were Adam Again cohorts Greg, Paul, and John, along with Andy Prickett (of the late Prayer Chain) on lead guitar, Ojo Taylor (from Undercover) on keyboards, Steve Hindalong on percussion and Dan Michaels on sax and lyricon (the last two from The Choir).

After a brief intro, Riki launched into "Strobe," with Karin Bergquist (Over the Rhine) on bgv's and followed it with a fantastic version of "Dance Around in Circles." It probably goes without saying that the band was tight, but even the extra musicians onstage couldn't knock Knox and Valdez off their beat, as both put on virtuoso performances, with Greg Lawless strumming a flawless rhythm guitar.

Derri Daugherty (The Choir) and Steve Hindalong each came up to lead a song--"Worldwide" for Derri and "Hideaway" for Steve. Both gave moving performances, but the great stand-in of the night was Mike Roe (The 77s). His versions of "Deep" and "Dig" were phenomenal; never imitating Gene but yet striking the same emotional yearning, Mike paid great tribute to his long-time friend. And when he harmonized with Riki on "Stone," a crushing song about lost love, I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the house. If Adam Again ever decide to press on, they need look no further for their new front man.

The last two singers of the evening were Sim Wilson, the operatic lead singer of Undercover, and Mike Knott (L.S.U., Aunt Bettys). Sim sang a powerful version of "Don't Cry," while Knott did yeoman work with "Hopeless, Etc.," It Is What It Is," "Homeboys," "Relapse," and "All You Lucky People." Mike is known for his aggressive stage persona, and that was on full display this evening. For my tastes, that seemed somewhat out of place with what was obviously a communal affair, but some audience members
appreciated the evident feeling on display.

What cannot be denied is that, yet again, Adam Again was the greatest live band in the land. It seamlessly shifted between complex dance rhythms, great rock tunes, and searing ballads. John Knox has never gotten his due as one of the truly great rock drummers, and Paul Valdez, with his gleaming bald head, has always been a perfect bassman for Gene. Greg Lawless, who had to take over the musical leadership of the evening, spent much of the evening smiling at John and Paul as the three led the other musicians through thirteen of Eugene's best tunes. In many ways, I'll remember the obvious community on stage more than any of the songs.

The evening ended with a quick clearing of the stage and then a video of Gene riding around in a truck, working in the studio, and hanging out with friends. On the soundtrack was his amazing ballad "River on Fire." The grainy video was beautifully edited with the music to create a sense of who Gene was. When the song finished, the video was over, and so was the concert.

I, for one, would've appreciated the chance to thank Riki and the guys one last time. They've brought so much joy to so many of us, but I suspect they wanted the focus to be on Gene. In that, they succeeded. Like Gene's life, the concert was wonderful to watch and, unfortunately, too short.