A year ago, this particular Bostonist tore into Hot Stove, Cool Music with a ferocity most often seen perhaps in rabid dogs. An event billed as top-notch synergy between Boston's sports and music circles left us wondering if we'd missed the tabletop covered with Kool-Aid in Dixie cups, because we viewed the night as a musical an uninspired, over-hyped musical event.

We refuse to believe that we've mellowed in a mere year's time, but it's important to acknowledge that our take on Peter Gammons' annual fundraiser, back at Paradise in its usual Sunday night slot earlier this week, has changed. Was there such a huge difference between 2007 and 2008? No, although there were noticeable improvements this time 'round. Did the night seem sweeter because of the presence of two championship trophies in the Paradise Lounge? Not really (although it did help).

The difference came in acknowledging what we refused to accept last year: Hot Stove, Cool Music is a charity event first, rock show second. The idea is to work attendees' wallets by providing incentive via music. And with that in mind, Sunday night's show came off as a laidback affair that let people raise money as they hung out on stage and off, provided a willing crowd for people known more for their work on or around a ballpark than on a stage, and showcased a few big names in the present-day Boston scene. The key is for attendees to know what they're in for before the big night.

Read the full review after the jump! Photo by Victoria Welch -- more from the night are available by clicking here.

We tore ourselves away from the trophies and silent auctions in the Lounge (sign that we're in a different era than back in '07: Celtics tickets were earning big bids) just in time to catch the end of Elan Trotman Band's cover of "Play That Funky Music," a tune that bounced saucily off the walls of the passageway leading to the main room. The night was broken up into mini-sets from nine acts, interspersed with banter and live auction action from perennial HSCM MC Mike O'Malley (who got Gammons to reveal that, of the '07 Red Sox team, it was Dustin Pedroia who talked the most trash).

Murder Capital of the World, the newest project for former Letters to Cleo guitarist Greg McKenna, was straightforward in its approach to delivering powerpop and rock; Bronson Arroyo gave the crowd his covers (we reported earlier - and have since updated - on the Arroyo Augustana Incident); and Lori McKenna laughed as former Cleo frontwoman (and Hannah Montana backup vocalist) Kay Hanley rushed to join her on stage for a quick, self-taken photograph. McKenna in particular was a highlight, with her smooth voice soothing the crowd without bringing down the energy of the room.

It was an interesting decision to follow McKenna's mid-show slot with the highest-profile act of the night, Peter Gammons and the Hot Stove All-Stars (a choice that left French Lick, Hanley, Eli "Paperboy Reed" and Dear Leader to try to keep the hype up with a dissipating crowd). But the All-Star lineup, which varied between 9 and 15 players on any given song, delivered a genuinely fun, snazzy set. The standard "Powderfinger" cover was in full effect, and Little Feet's "Dixie Chicken" was deftly tackled before Red Sox wife Tiffany Ortiz guested on tambourine for a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Happy." The two highlights of the night, however, came in the form of Mighty Mighty Bosstone's Dicky Barrett leading the band in J. Geils Band's "Give It To Me" and Gammons' skewering musical ode to the recent Mitchell Report.

Were any musical minds blown by the night? No. But was it cool to watch an eclectic crew of Boston notables enjoy each other's company while sharing a stage and raising some money for a good cause? We were okay setting our critical standards aside for a charitable event and saying, "Know what? Yeah, it was."