THE CALL AT SUBTERRANEAN CAFE:

While some might consider The Call’s best days behind them, the compelling, urgent set delivered by Michael Been and company at The Subterranean Cafe and Cabaret Thursday night decisively proved otherwise. Playing without a bassist (but with original members Scott Musick on drums and Tom Ferrier on guitar), Been wowed the standing-room-only crowd with a balanced mix of old standbys and thoughtful, new originals — including the hypnotic, steamrolling “All You Hold On To,” a bonus track on the just-released “The Best of The Call.” In strong voice through 17 songs and a generous encore, Been held nothing back, bringing a biting rock brilliance to the group’s semi-acoustic lineup. He’s also a spiritual, anthemic songwriter who flows easily between the searing and the soaring, and the night’s set offered strong evidence that The Call, unsung or not, may well be the closest thing America has ever had to its own U2. No wonder Bono, Peter Gabriel and Bruce Coburn are Call fans. If pressed to pick a highlight — the entire night played like the crest of a wave — this reviewer gives the nod to “Everywhere I Go,” from 1986’s “Reconciled.” Ferrier and Been stretched the song’s middle with atmospheric solos long on emotion and absent of cliche before hammering home the song’s thunderous tag. Likewise, it was impossible to resist “The Walls Came Down” — especially when Been, clearly taken by the crowd’s enthusiasm, let fly a mighty, celebratory whoop at the end of the song. Rock shows may come bigger, flashier and costlier, but they don’t get much more immediate and passionate than this. Kudos also to the support acts; San Diego’s Dryve turned in a strident performance worthy of its name, while local heroine Beki Hemingway — an artist to look out for in the months ahead — showcased songs from her worthy debut EP “rinse. repeat.”