Michael Gottlieb's lighting is subtle to the utmost degree, and Charlie Corcoran, who designed the sets for both shows, has come up with a cozy pub so real-looking that you'd be tempted to belly up to the bar and order a Guinness if there were an intermission.
The Cardiff striker's long-range strike appeared to come back off the underside of the bar but referee Andy D'Urso judged the ball had crossed the line.
The last time The Hold Steady visited us was back in 2007, when we broadcast from New York during the CMJ festival, and the group put on such a rip-roaring and rocking performance, you'd have thought they were on stage at The Uptown Bar.
Even so, the maitre d' insisted that bar patrons not walk through the empty dining room and instead use a hallway skirting the area -- a hint as to what kind of atmosphere the hotel tries to maintain.