With their first career-spanning box set due Oct. 6 from Sony Legacy, Daryl Hall & John Oates are using the opportunity to dig a bit deeper into one of rock's considerably deep and varied yet underappreciated catalogs. A three-song block about one-third of the way into their two-hour, 20-song set Wednesday (9/2) at the Nokia Theater drove home the point that there's much more to this duo than their era-defining hits.

Two of the tunes came from 1973's "Abandoned Luncheonette"--Hall's "When the Magic Came" and Oates' "Las Vegas Turnaround"--and served as reminders of the duo's roots in the folk-oriented singer/songwriter era, to which they lent a soulful touch. By following with "It's Uncanny" from the same period, H&O demonstrated the ease with which they could flip-flop between those influences: The funk element of "Uncanny" enhanced and the chorus' pop hook played up, the tune connected nicely with the other obscurity of the night, "How Does it Feel to Be Back" from 1980's "Voices," their creative breakthrough that welded soul to new wave and other rock influences.

Beyond that, it was the hits, all of them glisteningly performed by a stellar six-piece band led by their longtime bandmate T-Bone Wolk, who switched to acoustic guitar from bass a few years back. Saxophonist Charles DeChant added warmth throughout, proffering soaring yet controlled solos. Hall's voice, from the shouts on "It's a Laugh" to the held notes on "Sarah Smile," remains an expressive wonder at 62 years old.

Most of the night found Hall on acoustic guitar and Oates on electric, with Wolk taking his fair share of solos. It greatly reduced the production sheen, allowing the compositional textures to shine in "Adult Education," "One to One" and "Family Man"; "Say It Isn't So" closed with a sweet guitar duet between Hall and Wolk.

"You Make My Dreams," the centerpiece of the hit film "(500) Days of Summer," was saved for the encores and given an expanded treatment, that invigorating melody putting smiles on every face in the venue. Nicely played, the connection with a new generation of listeners could be tapped into more forcefully and used to make a statement about the timelessness of the music of Hall & Oates [ tickets ]. They have a string of hits that few can match in volume or duration--a dozen of their Top 20 hits didn't get played--making them the most accomplished and deserving of any eligible band not yet enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.