Lester Bangs’ "James Taylor Marked for Death" is no doubt popular bedtime reading this week in Milwaukee after the singer-songwriter disparaged – in front of an Illinois audience, no less – his recent Brew City audience for its supposedly "wooden" response to his alleged genius.

It’s highly unlikely Milwaukee will have to deal with any post-show digs from fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Davies, who delighted an appreciative crowd Tuesday night at Turner Hall.

In fact, Taylor – who Bangs imagined offing with a broken bottle of Ripple – might have "Fire and Rain," but he doesn’t have the full-frontal arsenal of songs like "I’m Not Like Everyone Else" (played at the beginning and end of the show) and "You Really Got Me" (played last) that the Kinks founder can use to easily decimate audiences.

Davies, who suffered a stroke in 2004, was in fantastic form and highly enthusiastic throughout the performance, which kicked off a tour in support of his new album, "Rippin’ UpTime." The album follows 2013’s "I Will Be Me," which saw him team with the likes of Ty Segall, Chris Spedding, The Bloody Hollies and The Jayhawks. Meanwhile, 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of The Kinks, and Davies and his brother and longtime sparring partner, Ray, continue to talk about the possibility of some sort of a reunion to mark the milestone (the band hasn’t played together since the mid ‘90s).

But whatever pans out for The Kinks, local fans were treated to an eclectic and energetic trip through the band’s and Davies’ solo catalog, featuring Davies and a top-notch supporting band that included drummer Dennis Diken from The Smithereens, as well as guitarist Jonathan Lea and bassist/keyboardist Tom Currier from The Jigsaw Seen.

Davies and the band seemed to hit their stride a few songs into the show with a rambunctious "She’s Got Everything." He then paid tribute to the modified amplifier that Davies used to achieve the legendary distorted guitar riff on "You Really Got Me" with "Lil’ Green Amp," a fun song from "I Will Be Me" on which Davies even sings falsetto.

A soulfully ragged version of "Tired of Waiting for You" brought the audience to its feet, while an elongated stab at the Eastern-flavored "See My Friends" was another standout. Afterward, Davies left the stage but first told the crowd, "Talk amongst yourselves. Nature calls." But he came back quickly – in a new outfit.

After all the loud guitar songs, two back-to-back quiet tunes – Davies’ solo "Flowers in the Rain" and The Kinks "Young and Innocent Days" (from 1969) – were nice and showcased his appealing, well-frayed vocals.

Claiming the band had not rehearsed songs from the "Rippin’ Up Time," Davies’ enlisted support from the audience before capably playing two songs from the album: "Front Room" and "King of Karaoke."

No such added encouragement was needed for "Death of a Clown" or "Dead End Street," which easily turned into sing-alongs. "Where Did All the Good Times Go" and "All Day and All of the Night" were equally crowd-pleasing.

Sam Llanas opened the show. Standing by himself in front of Davies’ imposing gallery of guitars, armed only with an acoustic guitar for most of his performance, Llanas played a mix of BoDeans songs ("She’s a Runaway," "Lookin’ for Me Somewhere") , covers ("Walking After Midnight") and songs from his upcoming album "The Whole Night Thru" ("Dangerous Love" and "Déjà Vu"). 

Before leaving, Llanas remarked that Davies’ "two chords" had changed the face of rock ‘n’ roll. Fans got to witness those famous two chords and a lot more during an entertaining show from Davies and his band.