The Afghan Whigs: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

I ARRIVED full of doubts, prompted by the Afghan Whigs' major-label debut, one of those song-cycle LPs. The story of a man and woman trapped in an eternal endgame ('If I Were Going', 'When We Two Parted', 'I Keep Coming Back'), languishing and spitefully reveling in an absolute pit of druggy sadomasochism, Gentlemen is quite a drama, but it feels too much like a slacker version of those pandering television talk shows. Today at 4:00, "I stayed in too long/But she was a perfect fit/And we dragged it out so long this time/Started to make each other sick."