Gomez played to a packed house Wednesday night and put on a brilliant performance, leaving no doubt in the audience’s mind why Britain is oh-so great. The British blues/rock band emerged on the music scene in 1996 when they played their first show without a name. They left a sign out for a friend whose last name was Gomez to let him know where they were playing. People saw the sign and assumed the band's name was Gomez, and so it became.

Their first album, “Bring it On,” won the Mercury Music Prize in 1998, beating out other bands such as The Verve and Massive Attack. Gomez is widely popular throughout the UK and Australia and has been touring the United States seemingly nonstop in attempt to build popularity on this side of the ocean.

Gomez started off their set strong with a rendition of “California,” off the “Liquid Skin” album. Ben Ottewell, one of the three vocalists, showed off his wonderfully gravely voice; a sound which has been favored by many critics.

Delighting the crowd to no end, Tom Gray shied from the traditional keyboard or guitar in favor of some sort of mouth piano. Moving between new and old favorites, “See the World,” off the new “How We Operate” album, was received with cheers after the first few cords were played. For those unfamiliar with Gomez, pay close attention the next time you see a commercial for “What About Brian,” because “See the World” is background music for the ad.

Another treat for the audience came when Ian Ball, vocalist, announced, “This song we’ve never played live before, so it’s gonna be killer.”

“Blind,” a bonus track on some versions of “Split the Difference,” captured the attention of the ladies chattering next to me — which equates a success on many levels — but mostly Gomez did an amazing job for never having played the song live before.

Throughout the show, each of the six members amazed audience members with diverse musical stylings, ranging from crazy guitar jams, the mouth piano, of course, and drum solos. Ball rotated between guitar, drums and keyboard, while the rest of the guys stayed at their respective instruments.

During “How We Operate,” which can be heard on the new “Grey’s Anatomy” commercials, Ben broke a string during a jaw-dropping guitar jam, but in true rock star style went right on playing. The popularity of “How We Operate” was evidenced by the wild motion and enthusiasm of the audience.

Unfortunately, the show had to end at some point, but luckily not before hearing “Get Miles” and “Whipping Piccadilly,” perhaps two of Gomez’s most acclaimed and all-time best songs. The Pabst was the ideal setting for the outstanding show, and as an ever -loyal Gomez fan, I hope they return soon!

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