Bob Mould never sleeps. Since the dissolution of Husker Du some ten years ago, Mould's career has been characterized by his immersion in a few well-honed rock archetypes. On his first solo record, "Workbook," the guitarist expanded upon his (art-)punk past with acoustic-based blues, although he quickly returned to his dense wall of sound on the subsequent "Black Sheets of Rain."

\\Mould has also wrestled with issues of control. After revisiting the power trio format with the punk-oriented Sugar, Mould walked out of the band four years later, citing the need to preserve his independent sound and vision. That vision came full circle with the 1996 release of "Bob Mould," on which he played all the instruments and achieved a satisfying resolution of the yin-yang stylistic disparities of his earlier records.

\\Billed as the first of three pre-recording warm-up gigs, Mould's Friday night show at the Fez both underscored parts of his past and offered an alluring glimpse at some of his works in progress. Sitting and playing a 12-string guitar, Mould opened with versions of "Wishing Well" and "Hoover Dam" that were more propulsive than pensive. Later songs were also practically attacked; Mould's hyperactive strumming brought out the insecurity at the heart of "Your Favorite Thing" and "If I Can't Change Your Mind" before he segued into new material like the achingly exquisite "High Fidelity." Obviously enjoying a new-found vocal resonance, Mould explained, "About seven weeks ago, I quit smoking. I feel like I'm singing with a voice I haven't had in 20 years."

\\Switching to electric guitar, Mould unveiled a blistering new song, "First Drag of the Day," a reflexive number built around an inverted rhythm lick of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" that recounted his attempt to kick the nic fits and write new material. Flipping between lyric sheets, Mould then took the honesty of his performance to new heights by announcing, "Oh, look. Here's my contract," and throwing out a few details from the booking agreement. "70 percent of the gross receipts, 150 tickets per night, " Mould said, laughing. "Hey, I feel I'm being overly frank here."

\\Although his performance occasionally cried out for a rhythm section that would have helped him color in the sonic landscape sketched out by his guitar, Mould showed enough restraint to play for effect rather than FX. Having reached a comfortable point beyond the mid-career threshold, the concert suggested that while it may have taken 10 years for Mould's solo ca