"Best band in the land!"

That's the phrase I kept hearing a concertgoer shout during a show by New Orleans' favorite sons, the Radiators, Friday night at amphitheater at South Park.

Certainly, that's open to debate, but watching the Rads tear through a two-hour set might convince some folks this band is in contention.

From the rousing opener, "I Like It Like That," through an encore of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "Ring of Fire," the Radiators showed that playing together for nearly 30 years makes for one tight performance.

The band formed in 1978 and has the same five members it did then: keyboardist Ed "Zeke" Volker, guitarists Dave Malone and Camille Baudoin, bass player Reggie Scanlon and drummer Frank Bua. Their repertoire varies between well-written originals and an unmatched collection of cover versions spanning blues, funk, classic rock and a few other genres.

One of the highlights of Friday's show was the band's distinctive interpretation of Neil Diamond's "A Solitary Man," which the Radiators transform into a smoldering performance complete with a long, intensive instrumental section.

Among the originals, a standout was Volker's "Umbilical," with its catchy sing-along chorus, "Everybody say yeah!" He's known to change the lyrics around here and there, and Friday's version mentioned a president running around the world like a chicken with his head cut off. (In the '90s, he'd make a reference to a president with a "cute little intern ...".)

Best in the land? I don't know, but the Radiators certainly are well worth seeing next time they're anywhere near town.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who still enjoys '60s-era, garage band-style music.

A friend sent me a disc by a Cincinnati-based band called the Greenhornes, and I had to double check that those guys didn't record it around 1966. No, "Dual Mono" - there's a great name for an album! - was released in 2002, by musicians who were a long way from being born yet when this style of music was in its heyday.

My music-conoisseur buddy had heard the Greenhornes playing on the soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch's film "Broken Flowers," which features the band's song "There Is An End." Actually, that's an interesting selection, as it features a guest vocal by Holly Golightly, who also has worked with the garage-inspired White Stripes. The rest of "Dual Mono" features band co-founder Craig Fox singing in a way that would make David Aguilar proud. (The Chocolate Watchband was the first actual '60s garage band to pop into my head, and Aguilar was its lead vocalist.)

At any rate, I've been blaring "Dual Mono" from my car stereo since receiving the disc, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go back about 40 years without leaving the 21st century.