Ray Davies is a hoot. Seen Saturday at the Theater at Westbury, the former Kinks frontman turned a two-hour concert into a mixed media extravaganza. After opening with an acoustic version of “This Is Where I Belong,” he tackled the ubiquitous hit “You Really Got Me,” before seguing into some of the group’s bigger hits: “I Need You,” “Where Have All The Good Times Gone,” “Til The End of the Day,” and “Victoria.’ And then with a few crowd-pleasers under his belt, he deviated from the script. He spent some time celebrating his 1994 autobiography “X-Ray” and read the book’s opening few lines before singing, “20th Century Man,” and “Autumn Almanac.” Shortly after playing the gnomic 1967 cut “Harry Rag,” he candidly admitted, “God, what a stupid song.”

With his trademark British humor, he took a shot at himself for moving to New Orleans, a decision that resulted in him being shot in the leg before singing “The Tourist,” from his 2006 solo album Other People’s Lives and seemed to find a moment of levity whenever possible. He added a moment of levity with the reggae-inspired ‘Apeman,” and the vernal “A Rock N’ Roll Fantasy” And then there was his humility. Throughout the performance he gave much of the band’s credit to brother Dave, before performing “Two Sisters,” and again praising Dave before playing, “The Hard Way.”

In what he called a “most welcome detour,” he performed songs from soundtracks, including “A Well Respected Man,” which appeared on the Juno soundtrack, a movie he sheepishly admitted he hadn’t seen. In one of the evening’s most unusual and yet most engaging performances he delivered the spoken word opus “Americana,” about The Kinks first United States tour in a vaudevillian and operatic manner that was more theatre than po-rock, as he fed off the guitar mettle of accompanist Bill Shanley. And for all his high water marks, it was Shanley who made the evening truly worth remembering. His inspired solos, impassioned strumming and technical acumen made the duo sound far more dense than one would have expected. That layer of depth gave the performance a flair and splash that Davies’ somewhat spotty vocals couldn’t.

Of the 20 songs played, Davies stumbled on at least three. And while that’s a small percentage, it’s not something that can be so easily excused. Moreover, he repeatedly urged the audience to check out the Kinks Choral Collection he never once discussed how the project came about or why it was so important to him. In the end, only a true audiophile or Kinks enthusiast had any earthly idea what he was talking about.

For an encore, he invited opening band The 88, an absolutely astounding Los Angeles quartet to come out and contribute to some of the his biggest hits, including an electric version of “You Really Got Me,” and “Lola.” While the raucous encore was a noteworthy footnote to a splendid night, the simple acoustic power of anthems like “Victoria,” and “Where Have All The Good Times Gone,” from earlier in the set, proved that even 20 years removed from his heyday Davies still has the power, the passion and the fire that put The Kinks on the map in the first place.

Set List
This Is Where I Belong
You Really Got Me
I Need You
Where Have All The Good TImes Gone
Til The End of the Day
In a Moment
Victoria
X-Ray Excerpt
20th Century Man
Autumn Almanac
Harry Rag
The Tourist
Apeman
A Rock n’ Roll Fantasy
Two Sisters
The Hard Way
See My Friends
I”m Not Like Everybody Else
Too Much On My Mind
NOthin’ In the World Can Stop Me Worry’ Bout a Girl
A Well Respected Man
Americana
Sunny Afternoon
Tired Of Waiting For You
Set Me Free
All The Day and All of the Night

Encore:
You Really Got Me
Lola
Low Budget

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