Last night at Chop Suey brought Exile in {Imaginary} Girlville, in which Three Imaginary Girls invited a plethora of Seattle talent to cover the 18 songs of Liz Phair’s masterpiece debut Exile in Guyville in order.

It was fucking great. One act after another knocked it out of the park, in radically different ways. Among those still haunting my brain: Rachel Flotard’s ace takes on “Mesmerizing” and “Fuck and Run,” Tennis Pro’s (pictured above) loud and smashing “Never Said” and “Soap Star Joe,” Team Gina’s sapphic “Shatter” and “Flower,” M. Bison’s ravishing “Explain it to Me” and “Canary” (which had a grown man near me in the audience in wracking sobs), and Throw Me the Statue’s fierce spin through my favorite Guyville track, the record-and-set-closing “Strange Loop.”

Along with the excellence of the performers, the evening also served to highlight the unimpeachable brilliance of Phair’s songs. From last night’s music, you’d never have guessed it was all the work of one artist. But the lyrics are entirely hers, and remain unmatched in the pantheon of postmodern relationship songs. Bravo and thanks to everyone who helped me spend a most amazing evening geeking out over one of my favorite records. (It was like playing Exile in Guyville Rock Star—with actual rock stars.)

And while we’re saluting the seminal output of 1993, let me say that I would be very happy to attend a cover night devoted to this.

(Tennis Pro photo courtesy of Jeanine Anderson.)