ad rush-hour weather may have deterred some folks from making the trip to Fort Reno on Thursday (7/1) but the most anticipated show of the series still managed to bring in a hefty crowd. Parking and picnic spaces were both sparse by 7:00. Those who were patient enough to outlast the rain (and hail in some places in the city) were treated to a magnificent night at the Fort. With Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina of The Evens and Ted Leo and The Pharmacists lined up, expectations were high.

When The Evens first started touring, I was somewhat perplexed by their choice of venues. It seemed obvious that they could bring in bigger crowds on name-recognition alone, but they insisted on booking small cafes and backroom stages. Then I saw one of their shows and it made sense. As MacKaye himself has said, they are a quiet band. It's best to experience them right up close. And that's exactly what many fans chose to do here at Fort Reno. Rather than the usual patchwork of blankets scattered far from the stage, many people (including myself) chose to curl up and sit down right in front.

After missing most of The Evens' set at the Coachella Festival I was eager to sit back and enjoy the whole thing this time around. Free from the distractions and chaos of a big festival, The Evens sounded right at home. That's because they were. Many people were surprised that they played at all, after hearing the tragic news that Ian MacKaye's mother had passed away the day before. While the mood at Fort Reno was not melancholy, it did feel a lot like a quiet gathering of close friends and family. MacKaye thanked his family for being there and after sharing some words about his mother, dedicated the song Sara Lee to her.

MacKaye treated us to his thoughts on government and language and what "it's all downhill from here" means. And what filled the space between these characteristic observations were about ten signature straightforward songs about life and death. These songs are so well crafted and easy that they practically demand your attention. And by easy I don't mean technically simple, rather they easily grab you right at the start and don't let go. There are no twisting structures and heavy veils of distraction; just MacKaye's distinctive fretwork, Farina's laid-back tempos, and two voices that blend seamlessly together. It's as if they were born to play these songs. My only complaint was that there weren't enough of them.

Later I spoke to a few friends who had had trouble hearing The Evens further back in the crowd. My only response to them was: when Ian MacKaye tells you to move closer, you'd do best to do as the man says.

Now I'd be very surprised if anyone had trouble hearing Ted Leo and The Pharmacists on Thursday night. Leo treated the Fort Reno stage as he does every stage - like it's Madison Square Garden. And as usual the crowd adored him. Although thoughts of superstardom inevitably cross the mind, would you ever really want to see Ted Leo and his RX at the Garden? Didn't think so. I feel downright spoiled to have him in DC three times this summer, before even mentioning that the first two were free.

Last month he played in tribute to the late Joe Strummer at the Silverdocs Film Festival in downtown Silver Spring (or SprUng, if your vocabulary is in need of some revitalization). While the Strummer tribute was a blast, Leo's Fort Reno appearance attracted nearly twice the crowd and the band seemed to fit better on stage. If you suggested this to them, however, they'd probably violently disagree with you. That's because the bass drum was all over the place and poor Chris Wilson couldn't bang as hard as he's used to. While noble Reno volunteers tried their best to build a stone rampart in front of the pesky drum, it didn't do the trick and Wilson became visibly (and understandably) pissed off.

While Leo performed solo and the crowd provided rhythm by handclap, it was duct tape in the end that saved the Pharmacists from a possible meltdown. In the nick of time Wilson was back to his normal if-Ted-makes-me-play-one-more-song-I-just-might-implode self. I honestly don't think anyone further than ten feet back would have even noticed the drum mishap had it not been for Wilson's post-duct-tape comeback that catapulted the band into cardiac overdrive and carried them all the way through to their final song - an absolutely electric cover of Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device."

Luckily this whole scenario was caught on tape. When I asked the director what the film cameras were for, he said it was simply for posterity - not a music video or another concert-bio DVD like February's spectacular Dirty Old Town. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see this footage show up somewhere down the road. It doesn't get much cooler than a bunch of kids clapping along in front of a little wooden stage under pink thunderheads and a single streetlamp while the drummer tapes his legs down.

But no one should wait for another DVD to come out! Go to www.tedleo.com right now and listen to the new demo "Me and Mia" and tell me it doesn't make you want to move. If this song is any indication of the quality of Leo's new LP (for release in September), I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it hovering near the top of my year-end favorites. I wouldn't say that "Me and Mia" is a huge departure from last year's Hearts of Oak. It has the same catchy melody, irresistible rhythm, and honest lyrics as all of his best material. We'll just have to wait and see how he dresses it up in the studio.

If you missed Ted Leo and The Pharmacists at Silverdocs or Fort Reno, you have one more chance before the summer is over. Don't miss their performance at The Black Cat on Thursday, July 22.