It was a Sunday show. In other words, not to be missed. Those packing the sold-out theater understood, and after Tab Benoit and Anders Osborne finished a 105-minute barrage of blues and rock and bayou boogie, those that witnessed were more than grateful they’d spent this beautiful summer evening in Rhode Island at the Odeum.

Opening with Benoit’s “Muddy Bottom Blues,” he and Osborne, backed by a two-piece rhythm section, quickly established the theme of the night: gritty guitars and soul. The jet-fueled shuffle was a choice starter, offering space to stretch, then sliding nicely into Osborne’s marching crunch of “Move Back to Mississippi.” The two six-string slingers bookended the Odeum’s wide stage, or faced off in the center, smiling and swaying as they wailed away. And while many of those attending seemed more familiar with Benoit’s repertoire- divided evenly with Osborne’s throughout the set- each earned equal numbers of standing ovations as the performance unfolded.

Even on lighter fare, such as Benoit’s “Nothing Takes the Place of You,” or Osborne’s reggae-inflected “Got Your Heart,” there was no let-up in shining guitar solos or evident comradery between the two old friends. Benoit traced their relationship back to New Orleans, nearly four decades ago, to a “blues jam contest” in a bowling alley; Benoit finished third, while Osborne took home first prize. The latest of their many collaborations surfaced mid-set, on a roof-ripping run of “I Hear Thunder.”

Osborne, in support of his wonderful and latest LP, Picasso’s Villa, dipped only once into that album, then finished his share of songs with a hip-shaking “Lafayette.” Benoit closed the show by honoring a shouted request among the many, rumbling through “Why Are People Like That?” For an encore, Benoit slipped behind the drum kit, while support artist, Mike Zito, (whose opening slot was a marvelous precursor to what was to come), strapped in on guitar, accenting Osborne’s moving take of “Oh Katrina.” Then, Benoit resumed his place on guitar for a final and extended cyclonic, second-line jam on “We Make a Good Gumbo,” bringing the Odeum’s faithful to its feet one more time.

The pairing of Benoit and Osborne seems tailor-made, accentuating the best these two brilliant songwriters, not to mention exceptionally talented musicians, have to offer. It is as advertised- a night of thunderous music- that manages just as neatly to honor the nuances, as well. Sunday show, or any night of the week, this is one not to be missed.