NASHVILLE — While Bruce Springsteen was playing his anthems of the common man to a massive crowd down the street at the Gaylord Center, Buddy and Julie Miller, too, played to a packed house.

In the dim backroom of 12th and Porter, tucked behind the Nashville Electric Service's huge building, all the tables were filled and standees packed every available space to catch the husband-wife duo's intense songs of love, passion, despair and redemption.

The pair's performance was as intense and varied as their music. A rockin' version of "Wallflower" kicked off the evening, highlighted by Buddy's powerful electric-guitar work. A solid "Blue Pony" (RealAudio excerpt) followed.

Drawing deeper from the well of sadness from which many of their songs come, the couple then offered Nashville tunesmith Paul Kennerly's "Love Match."

"I don't know why we do such sad songs," Buddy said. "I'm not a real sad guy. You know there was a review which said 'the seemingly happy couple ...' because of that.

"But we are happy. When you grow up listening to all this sad music — Hank Williams, the Louvin Brothers, Otis Redding — as the foundation, it's just that the best songs are those kinds of songs."

Love, Redemption And Toothbrushes

Watched over by two impassive stone angels hung high on the ceiling behind the stage, the Millers let their harmonies soar on the haunting ballad "My Love Will Follow You," Buddy singing in a soulful country-blues tenor and Julie combining strength and delicacy in her rough and tender soprano.

Julie slowed things down with a passionate version of "I Am the Rain," followed by an intense take on her song of love and redemption, "Broken Things," the title track from her most recent Hightone album.

Julie's bubbly personality played off Buddy's understated humor through the show as the couple connected with each other's style, both musically and in the sometimes funny, sometimes poignant stories they told.

And then there were the toothbrushes — seems Julie had come across a sale that day of 10 monogrammed toothbrushes for a dollar.

"After I bought the names of all the people I knew," she said, "I figured, well, in my travels I'll probably come across somebody with just about every name, and it's such a great sale, so ..."

A number of fans went home with unexpected souvenirs of the evening, as Julie gave them out several times during the show.

'We Come From The Same Musical Place'

Backed by Rick Plant on bass, Brian Owings on drums and Phil Madiera on Hammond B3 organ and occasional accordion, Julie took lead on a torchy treatment of "Strange Lover," and Buddy soloed on the country-blues tale "That's How I Got to Memphis."

Bathed in a deep red light, they upped the intensity even more with Julie's vivid love song, "Forever My Beloved" (RealAudio excerpt).

Moving easily among the folk, rock, country and blues genres they draw on, the duo then went into the upbeat "Somewhere Trouble Don't Go," with Julie playing percussion on a handmade drum — jangling tambourines inside a plastic trash can.

Julie's been making her own instruments since she was a kid, her brother Jeff Griffin said at a taping for an "Austin City Limits" songwriters' special hosted by Emmylou Harris that will feature the Millers and will air the weekend of May 6.

Besides Harris, other artists who've covered the Millers' material include Brooks & Dunn, LeeAnn Womack and Richard Shindell.

"Julie's from Austin [Texas], " Buddy said. "I moved there in '76 and met her there while we were both playing in bands, and we've just kind of stuck together ever since. We come from the same sort of musical place, a little different backgrounds — I think we've really learned a lot from each other."

More than two hours wasn't enough for this enthusiastic crowd — standing ovations brought the couple back to the stage twice. They finished up the evening by bringing it all back home with a vital and intense duet on a song that's a fusion of their backgrounds, the folk-country standard "Rock Salt and Nails."

Buddy and Julie Miller tour dates:

April 27; Houston, Texas; Mucky Duck

April 28; Austin, Texas; Continental Club

April 29; Dallas, Texas; Sons of Hermann Hall (with Robbie Fulks)

May 27; San Francisco, Calif.; Slim's

May 28; Yosemite, Calif.; Strawberry Music Festival