Does the world really need an Echo and the Bunnymen reunion? On a peer-centered scale of significance -- with an imagined Smiths reunion at one end and the forthcoming release of a new Love Spit Love album at the other -- the group's plans for an album and tour rank just above another stadium jaunt by the Cure. Unsurprisingly, the Bunnymen's soon-to-be-released album, "Evergreen," is merely a passable effort with little that approaches the band's '80s output.

Still, the six-man touring version of the Bunnymen put on a solid show Sunday. The new lineup features three of the four original members -- guitarist Will Sergeant, bassist Les Pattinson and, most significantly, frontman Ian McCulloch. It was McCulloch who left the Liverpool band in 1988, leaving the remaining Bunnymen to lamely soldier on without him for a time.

As the band made a dramatic entrance to the strains of a gothic church hymn -- a rather dated affectation -- it was comforting to see that McCulloch doesn't look that different from when he left the Bunnymen nearly a decade ago. He still has a healthy mane of hair, more restrained than in its '80s heyday, and sports a pouty, serious expression. More importantly, it became obvious during the opening song, "Rescue," that his soulful, detached voice hasn't lost any of its power.

The group was tight -- especially for an act beginning a reunion tour -- and what sounds slight on the new record gained a certain punch live, where the drums (played by Michael Lee, replacing the late Pete De Freitas) were significantly higher up in the mix. Ironically enough considering the band's reunion, the strongest new song was a contemplation of mortality entitled "Nothing Lasts Forever."

One thing that has lasted is the power of the Bunnymen's old songs -- "The Cutter," "Lips Like Sugar," "Over the Wall" -- which were enthusiastically received by the sold-out crowd. One of the few classics that failed to satisfy was "The Killing Moon," which would have benefited from a more subtle treatment. Thankfully, the band ended the night on a more dynamic note, with an energetic, more-than-a-bit-Doors-influenced encore of "Do It Clean."

Perhaps nothing does last forever, but it seems the Bunnymen have managed to cheat death for at least the time being.