I guess in some ways, Jay Leno had an impossible task. I hadn't seen him since 1986 when he put on a legendary show at the Park West in Chicago. He prowled the stage with the energy of a man in his mid-30s who was fighting to be the best. His observations were hilarious and his delivery was perfect. I can still recall his opening joke dripping with sarcasm about Nancy Reagan winning the humanitarian of the year award. "I'm glad she beat out that conniving little bitch mother Theresa! It's nice to see the right people win for a change." No, the Jay Leno I took my wife to see last month was older and comfortable with his legacy. His goal was achieved--hosting the "Tonight Show" and becoming a household name. Sadly the performance showed that. He raced through the first few minutes and we could barely hear him with the poor sound system. Later, he slowed down but every joke was told in the same tone. There were some silly jokes on his alleged sexual prowess and of course many Joan Rivers-like barbs on celebrities. The old Jay made us feel he was one of us commenting on the things that drive us crazy. This Jay was looking down from above. The most upsetting part was that when the show was over he left. He did not come out and do some more encore material as he had done in Chicago on that cold day 23 years ago. Back then, he had something to prove. This time, he probably had a plane to catch.