First, you are very lucky to have seen the band live over the years. I have only seen them live, twice. Both times were with Natalie in the band. I am very aware of the riff between John Lombardo and Natalie.  Yes, he soon left after their first record and then showed up as John and Mary on Rykodisc years later. I owned that disc and it didn't stay in my collection all that long. I have not followed the band since Natalie left and I find it even harder since Robert Buck has passed on. In my opinion Natalie's songwriting and voice with Robert's wonderfull guitar playing were the driving force of the band. I am well aware of the history(a.k.a. saga at the time,in the press)of the departure of Natalie from the band. But, she had stated that the band had been aware of her solo desire for years, and I was all to thrilled to see her go solo. I don't think the band ever quite matched their flawless sophmore disc,"In My Tribe". In response to your comments in a latter post: I do not think Natalie's solo career is a total waste. I own all of her solo discs, with "Ophelia" a masterfull record of folk, pop and rock as her best. It was very missunderstood by the critics and fans at the time of release. I would even argue that it is better than any of the releases of her 10,000 maniacs days. When it comes down to "what will be remembered" years from now, it will be her records with the band, not this later incarnation. No offense, but when you try to make a comeback  and the first single is a cover(a mediocre version of "More Than Us")you have to question a band's strength?