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By Dave Miller

Willie Nile is one of the last of the true believers.

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The 63-year-old plays like music can save your soul. Nile revels in the power and promise of rock. He wears his heart on his sleeve, performing with a complete lack of pretense or irony. He exudes the passion and enthusiasm of someone whose idealism has yet to yield to cynicism.

Nile came to FitzGerald's off a stretch of 30 shows in 35 days. Such a relentless schedule can test the stamina of even the most energetic performer, but it became clear early that Nile's fire was still burning brightly. The third song of the night, "Heaven Help the Lonely," soared as Nile delivered his heartfelt lyrics with conviction backed by the three-guitar attack of the Nicholas Tremulis Orchestra. Add Nile's guitar and the four guitars onstage created a street tough wall of sound. The Berwyn club has become Nile's Chicago home in the past couple years and Tremulis' crew has expertly supplied the New Yorker with added punch each time, upping the ante on every occasion. "I love playing with this band," NIle said in the middle of a show that included two encores. "They don't suck."

"The Day I Saw Bo Diddley in Washington Square," which was dedicated to New York DJ Pete Fornatel, was extra poignant considering Diddley played his last Chicago show on the same stage. Nile proudly introduced a brand new song called "Holy War" about religious extremists. "God is great, but you're not," he sang. "God doesn't need you. Suck on that!" While the lyrics appear less than eloquent in print, the performance of the song was a highlight. One of the numbers not heard during Nile's stop at the roadhouse last year was "On the Road to Calvary," a song he wrote for Jeff Buckley which he also dedicated to Levon Helm on this night. Helm was also name-checked during the rousing rocker "House of a Thousand Guitars," a song Nile explained originated from a dream he had of Jimi Hendrix playing cards with Hank Williams in a cathedral-like building with stained-glass windows.

All of the above served as a prelude to a devastingly effective 1-2 punch, starting with "Hard Times in America" and its spot-on lyrics:

They say it's getting better/We're closing the gap/You know as well as I do/That's just a load of crap/The rich are getting richer/The poor are staying poor/I do believe the Grim Reaper/Is knocking at the door.

The rage expressed by four guitars led by John Pirruccello and Rick Barnes as the song stretched to 10 minutes even superceded the lyrics in reporting the state of the union. The number has emerged as the cornerstone of Nile's shows with Tremulis' band. Next came the anthem "One Guitar," a perfect follow-up about how one person can make a difference.

Nile makes a difference.

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Willie Nile setlist: