The final show of LA's leg of the Club Benson & Hedges Tour, featuring Morris Day and the Time, is representative of the tour itself. The show -- marred by poor sound, lackluster audience, and the apathy that the City of Angels has come to be known for -- and the tour are similar in that they try their best to make something out of a bad situation, and are hindered by circumstances beyond their control. George Howard likewise played an almost somber set at BB King's in overalls and Nike sneakers, with much the same pieces as his performance at that venue one year prior, yet with much less of the energy.

In the defense of the show, Day was a consummate professional and a master showman. Despite mics set far too low in volume for his lilting voice, Morris ignored the limitations set by poor sound work at Billboard Live (so perfect just a week before for Roger & Zapp) and practically screamed into the mic to be heard. He is certain to be drinking tea and wearing a warm towel around his throat for weeks afterwards.

The volume on the keyboards was literally piercing, with longtime keyboardist Monty Moir banging away at them like a possessed madman. Day and the Time -- comprised of several irregulars of extreme talent and precision -- went through a series of hits for just over 50 minutes before rushing off the stage in what could have been disgust at both venue and crowd response. The tour promoters more than the audience called for an encore, in which Day and the Time improvised an impromptu Minneapolis jam for another ten minutes -- noticeably without much in the way of vocals by Day -- before making another abrupt departure from the stage.

Then, just when the crowd was beginning to feel sated, the Time took the stage -- in haste -- to rock the one smash hit they had neglected to perform, 1984's "Jungle Love." The total showtime topped one and a half hours, and missed some of the drama of last year's show at the Palace but none of the precision.

Likewise, the Club Benson & Hedges tour itself has been crippled by the overadministration of federal legislation. The tour's sponsors, Phillip Morris, USA, could cut its support of the tour with the massive settlements in liability cases being levied by state governments and large collectives of victims of nicotine.

While there are few players in the United States economy that can be said to be innocent of some form of damage to human life, one of the great forms of atonement that companies like Phillip Morris has available to give something back to the community in a way that is positive and not terribly painful for them. The shows never literally promoted smoking in and of itself, and acts that might have had a hard time getting around the country found a helping hand and open venues with a name brand behind them. Shows like The Gap Band, Cameo, and Morris Day and the Time were able to bring enjoyment to thousands nationwide, and that could all be gone in a flurry of legalese and lawyer's fees.