Three years ago, almost to the day, Lucinda Williams made her first Lincoln appearance, delivering an intense, hard-rocking performance that previewed the songs that would be released on 2003's "World Without Tears."

Friday night, July 1, Williams will return to the Rococo Theatre, touring to promote "Live at the Fillmore," a two-CD set that likely contains much of what will be heard on the Rococo stage.

Put together from three nights in November 2003 at The Fillmore, the set contains 22 songs, including almost all of "World Without Tears," and captures Williams and her three-piece band in fine form. That makes it a rarity — a live album that's worth hearing more than once.

"I was trying to put something together that I'd want to listen to myself," Williams told the Rocky Mountain News in a rare interview on this tour. "I don't listen to live records, for two reasons: There's just too much talking going on, or it just doesn't sound good because of the way it was recorded. Those were two things I was trying to make sure weren't going to happen."

Combined with "Live from Austin, Texas," a new DVD of her Dec. 5, 1998, "Austin City Limits" concert, "Live at the Fillmore" provides a snapshot of Williams' evolution as an artist.

The Austin show was recorded when "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," the album that catapulted her through a combination of critical acclaim, record sales and concert success to far greater visibility than she had previously received, came out.

Accompanied by a six-piece band, including songwriter Jim Lauderdale on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Williams rambles through a 75-minute set that showcases that record along with earlier favorites like "Sweet Old World," "Passionate Kisses" and "Something About What Happens When We Talk."

The music is, largely, country/folk based. It rocks a little, but it's primarily rootsy singer/songwriter stuff, showcasing the lyrics that have earned Williams a place in the pantheon of great contemporary songwriters — along with Bob Dylan, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Elvis Costello, who compares her directness to that of Hank Williams.

In contrast, "Live at the Fillmore" is a rock-rooted record, with songs like "Joy" snarling and driving rather than progressing on a simple groove and "Changed the Locks" moving from a quiet song of resignation into a powerful anthem. Those songs and "Pineola" are the only tunes found on both the live album and DVD.

That's a sign not only of how dramatically Williams' set list has shifted but of how she perceives her music. Older songs such as "Passionate Kisses" and "I Just Want to See You So Bad" were left off the live album because Williams felt they didn't fit.

That rock 'n' roll feel was evident when I heard Williams preview "World Without Tears" twice in 2003 and continued when she and her band played a brilliant show last year at Kansas City's Beaumont Club.

Williams, who went for years between albums in the '80s and '90s, is already back in the studio, producing her forthcoming record. But she and the band, guitarist Doug Pettibone, bass player Taras Podaniuk and drummer Jim Christie, are taking some time off to do some shows and road test some of the songs they're about to record.

"I have enough songs for two albums," Williams told the Rocky Mountain News. "A lot of people are asking me if I'm going to put out a double CD. I'm thinking I'm probably not going to. I don't want to overdo it with too many songs. So I'm throwing them out there, getting feedback on some of the songs."

So, in many ways, tonight's Rococo show will be deja vu all over again. And when it's coming from Williams, that's a very good thing.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.

If you go

What: Lucinda Williams with John Doe

Where: Rococo Theatre. 140 N. 13th St.

When: 8 p.m. Friday, July 1

Tickets: $31