By Dave Miller

Chicago never saw Those Darlins play like they did at the Taste of Randolph Street.

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It marked the first time the young band from Nashville performed in town without founding member Kelley Darlin, who departed in February "in order to pursue other musical projects and professional ventures," according to a supportive online statement signed by the remaining three members. The surprising news came with the band's future looking brighter than ever following relentless touring and two critically-acclaimed albums, the most recent one earning high marks from both Robert Christgau and Rolling Stone.

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A big reason behind the acclaim was the band's wide range that went from country to rock to punk. The country came most from Kelley with her singing and songs and dignified presence. It was a fitting coincidence that she played on the right side of the stage. Nikki Darlin brought the attitude and unpredictability of punk from the left, while Jessi Darlin rocked in the middle, serving as a conduit for the extremes as the band's secret weapon, drummer Linwood Regensburg, cracked offf chugging beats in the background. The push and pull between the genres created an exciting tension that couldn't be found anywhere else.

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So it shouldn't be surprising that Kelley was missed. A hired gun played bass with a rock edge in her place. Kelley's absence is still going to take some getting used to. It wasn't acknowledged during the show. Requests for songs that she used to sing went unplayed. Harmonies weren't as rich. The truth of the matter, though, is Those Darlins have been smartly leaning closer to rock and punk in the last couple years. That is where they are the most compelling. The challenge for them is to inhabit that territory successfully more frequently and bolder now that they no longer have Kelley's country contrast available to heighten the effect of their rock and punk. That isn't to say they've ceded country entirely. (Though not played at this show, Jessi's "Waste Away" should be the envy of Music Row.) But the group's musical palette has been narrowed so they'll have to make the remaining colors pop even more to make up for it.

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Even if Kelley hadn't left, Those Darlins would have had difficulty following their previous show in Chicago. That one in October of last year at the Empty Bottle was a knockout performance from start to finish. In fact, it was one of the best by anyone around here in 2011. Unfortunately, their Taste of Randolph Street set proved to be an example of how a band can be thwarted by moving outside. The festival soundman sabotaged the opening song, "Red Light Love," with ridiculously heavy bass. While the sound improved after that, it never was great. For some reason, festival organizers scheduled Those Darlins an hour after the event opened at 6 p.m. Friday, which resulted in a crowd that was decent but deserved to be bigger. Hot, sticky temperatures didn't do anyone any favors, either. "I thought it was supposed to be the Windy City," Jessi said early in the set.

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However, Those Darlins are not prima donnas. A cocky band might have fallen victim to circumstances and went through the motions. Those Darlins did the oppositive, starting with a remarkably adventurous setlist. Of the 16 songs played, only the opener came from the band's debut album and a modest four hailed from their second and latest release, Screws Get Loose. That left a whopping 11 non-album songs, including a half-dozen new ones with the band fresh off its first recording session for its next album. All of the new songs, which were whipped into shape during a European tour in the spring, sounded album-worthy. "Summer's Dead" saw Jessi rave on on her guitar, "Why Can't I?" featured a 1950s-ballad vibe, and Nikki sang "In the Wilderness," an attractively offbeat number that was left off Screws Get Loose. The latter was born in a songwriter session that she and Jessi had in, no lie, a camper parked outside the house of Jessi's mom in Tennessee.

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It took awhile, but the set caught fire in the middle when Nikki sang the dark "Night Jogger," which came out on a 7-inch vinyl release. An up-tempo new number, "Burn Me Up," kept the momentum going. A cover of Rockpile's "Pet You and Hold You" sung by Nikki was a nice curveball, and in a way provided the contrast that Kelley's country songs did in the past. "Be Your Bro" and "Screws Get Loose," both sung by Jessi, showed the band at its fundamental best. "In the Wilderness" perfectly set up a wild, closing "Funstix Party," the flip side of the "Night Jogger" 7-inch. It was an epic performance, much like the band's cover of "Shakin' All Over" in previous Chicago shows. Nikki and Jessi, who have always been by far the top live performers in the band, wound up on the speaker cabinets in front of the stage and played off each other backed by an insistent beat. The scene suggested the best could be yet to come for Those Darlins.

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The setlist: