As a long-time Son Volt fan, I'm not entirely sure why singer, songwriter and guitarist Jay Farrar has taken the band that played Saturday night on Summerfest's Potawatomi Stage out on the road as "Son Volt." He's assembled an entirely new cast of characters for this reformed version of one of two bands to emerge from the ashes of the legendary Uncle Tupelo (the other, of course, is Wilco).

After releasing three fine LPs, Son Volt was shelved as Farrar released a couple solo records that flittered between mellow and plodding. His earliest solo gigs made Son Volt's generally low-key stage presence seem like a three-ring circus.

While Saturday night's show was a good one -- despite some sketchy sound -- with Farrar and his four-piece band (bass, drums, guitar and keyboards) rocking harder than the first incarnation of Son Volt, this fan's desire to hear music from "Trace," "Straightaways" and "Wide Swing Tremolo" went unfed except for "Drown" and "Tear Stained Eye" from the 1995 debut.

Instead, the bulk of the show came from 2005's "Okemah and the Melody of Riot" and "The Search," released in March. This Son Volt -- comprising former Meat Puppets rhythms section Dave Bryson and Andrew Duplantis, guitarist Chris Masterson and keyboardist Derry DeBorja -- has ratcheted up the rock and toned down the country. The stage presence, however, isn't much improved (maybe their energy was sapped by their long-sleeved shirts on a sizzling Milwaukee summer night).

Although the venue wasn't packed solid, there was a respectable crowd with lots of fans (you could tell by the number of people singing along with all the songs).

Son Volt version 2.0 arguably reaches the heights of the original version, but is different. So, keeping the name remains a mystery, except that it allows Farrar to move back into a band setting without having to reintroduce himself.

But there's no denying Farrar's ability to mix country, rock and folk into his own alluring concoction; a unique flavor that derives heavily from his distinctive mumble of a voice. If you like it, you likely love it.