Fifty-eight years old and still wearing leather trousers, Lou Reed is old enough and bold enough to do exactly what he wants - and what he wants is to play his new album, Ecstasy, almost in its entirety. For fans who came to the Olympia because they saw a bunch of big stars doing Perfect Day on BBC, however, the rough, unshaven sound of Modern Dance, Romeo Had Juliette and Mystic Child might have felt a tad abrasive. For long-time Lou-ddites, however, it was enough just to bask in the gruff, bearskin warmth of Reed's voice, or watch the old dog trade licks with his three-piece backing band.

Still, it wasn't easy to warm to some of Reed's recent material, no matter that it was delivered with ragged grace. Songs from Ecstasy and Set The Twilight Reeling lean away from melody and more towards Reed's conversational vocal style - not easy for fans to talk along to. When the talking stopped and the band opened out, however, as on Rock Minuet and Set The Twilight Reeling, sparks flew and entertainment values shot up. Our patience was rewarded during the encore, when Reed and band tumbled into the loose, languid riff of Sweet Jane, then tightened up for the backstreet shuffle of Dirty Boulevard. The crowd was up on its feet, finally recognising something they could sing along to, but as Perfect Day slowly unfurled, we all listened respectfully as Reed reclaimed his own song and sang it softly back to us in the way nature intended.