If you were going to the Kenny G concert Friday night at the Benedum Center and expecting innovative, groundbreaking music, you surely would have been disappointed. But if you were going to see a show ... now, that was another matter.

There was plenty of show to see and hear, with the music almost incidental to what went on onstage -- and even in the audience.

That didn't take long to establish, either, as G, playing alto saxophone, opened things up with "Home," sauntering down the aisle from the back of the hall and eventually onto a platform placed in the aisle. Switching to his trademark soprano sax, he introduced the melody to "Silhouette" by launching into a high B. He circled on the platform like a traffic cop and held the note for three or four minutes using the technique of circular breathing, while he finally made his way to the stage, shaking hands with audience members in the process.

Anyway, I found much of the show uneven. "Forever in Love" had more of a backbeat than the original, but I don't think the tune was improved in the process, and the bouncy "G Bop" seemed to lack a just a little bounce. I did, however, appreciate the cover of the Average White Band's "Pick Up the Pieces," which he had recorded with David Sanborn for his "Duets" album, and with G's high school buddy Robert Damper filling in on synthesized organ. The encore "Songbird" sure sounded better live than the record, but the ending was clumsy.

Probably the highlight of the show was "We've Saved the Best for Last," a hit in the mid-1990s and featuring a special guest -- William "Smokey" Robinson (yes, you read right) -- who came out of the front row to sing, if for no other reason that it actually felt spontaneous. (He also had sung on the original version.) Not far behind was "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," with G on tenor, which became straight-ahead jazz and shifted to a blues progression for the solos, an especially pretty one coming from Damper on acoustic piano, which was part of the "unplugged" segment. That part also featured three of the tunes from his upcoming Latin CD.

Strong individual performances came courtesy of percussionist Ron Powell and drummer Dave Bejerano on "Havana," guitarist John Raymond tearing up "You're Beautiful" and bassist Vail Johnson slapping his way through the end of "Pick Up the Pieces." But since he has a body of work that spans over 20 years he had to leave some tunes behind. I personally would have loved to hear "Midnight Motion" or "Tierra Verde." And please, Kenny, lose the demonstration of circular breathing.