Ray Davies charms in back-to-basics performance at the Michigan Theater

Ray Davies performing live in London.

Photo by Flickr user *hoodrat*.

Ray Davies promised to do two things during his performance Thursday at the Michigan Theater: eventually stand up from the stool on which he played most of the night and remove his jacket.

But he did much more during a 2-hour, perfectly paced, mostly acoustic show that covered all of his klassic Kinks hits, while digging deeply into a catalog of gems that easily holds its own (and then some) against anyone else’s.

Still in fine, full, throaty voice at 65, Davies was charming and witty, telling stories and even reading a passage from his autobiography, "X-Ray," which served as a sort scene setter to describe the genesis of a songwriter so deeply rooted in the post World War II era of Great Britain’s declining empire.

Not that the added context was really necessary. Davies’ songs speak for themselves, and on Thuesday, he and accompanist Bill Shanley on lead guitar delivered them with all the grace and charm they deserve.

Stripped largely of the distorted guitar blasts that are their calling card, the simple lyrical genius of tunes like “You Really Got Me,” “Til the End of the Day” and “I Need You” fully emerged, as if by stripping them to their essence he allowed them to flower fully.

Remarkably, even though the setlist was laden with more hits, including “So Tired,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” “Well Respected Man” and “Victoria,” it never took on the vibe of a nostalgia revue, thanks not only to the strength of the songs, but Davies’ easy way of discussing them and bringing the audience in on the act, as he did frequently.

Meanwhile, chestnuts like the opening “This is Where I Belong,” “Autumn Almanac” and the breathtaking “Two Sisters” served as reminders that Davies and the Kinks were always far more than the sum of their hits.

After nearly 20 songs and 90 minutes, Davies made good on his initial promise, tossing aide his jacket, standing up and bringing opening act The 88 onstage for all-too-brief but highly spirited electric romps through “All Day and All of the Night,” stellar album cuts “Dead End Street” and “David Watts” and, inevitably, a rousing singalong of his “Lola.”

If this is what Davies can still do, it only asks the inevitable question of what it would be like if he were to actually — as he said he’d like to — finally reform the Kinks for one last time.

After all, as he proved again and again on Thursday, the songs deserve it.

Will Stewart is a free-lance writer for AnnArbor.com.