So last night brought PJ Harvey and John Parish (plus band) to the Moore, as part of a tour in support of their recent collaborative album A Woman A Man Walked By. Sticking to the theme, Harvey and Parish restricted their set list to tracks from their two album-length collaborations, both of which find Harvey indulging her dramatic side (I call it "Countess Beefheart") over alternately moody and gritty songscapes by producer/musician/friend Parish.

The results, both live and on record, are intelligent, high-drama rock that has the whiff of an art project. This was particularly acute at last night's show, which felt more like a recital than a rock show. Songs were perfectly executed and starkly staged, the whole band clad in black suits, with Harvey barefoot in a short black dress. "Get your guitar!" someone yelled during a pause between songs. "Guitar will be handled tonight by Mr. John Parish," replied Harvey with a smile.

The encore brought a Parish solo track, a perfectly fine number than raised expectations of a retaliatory solo-PJ composition. (Trying to think of what PJ track would fit best with the band and show-in-progress, I settled upon "Hook.") But it was not to be. The final song of the night was another Harvey-Parish song, followed by a long and lusty standing ovation and The End.

I'll happily attend any recital PJ Harvey deigns to give. But I'll trample people I love to see her full-on, solo-setlist shows. (Her 1995 show at the Moore remains the most amazing rock show I've ever seen, and her 1993 show at Under the Rail—featuring Pablo Honey-era Radiohead as opening act—is in the top ten.)

UPDATE: I cannot argue with a ticket stub. (See comment #7.) The opening band for PJ's '93 Seattle show was an unimpressive Moonshake, not an unimpressive early Radiohead. PJ's awesomeness remains uncontested.