POP CAPSULES : RICHES TO RAGS

Rockers on the rise sometimes find it difficult to navigate the transition from clubs to arenas. On the other hand, it’s probably no picnic for veteran guitar-hero Robin Trower to be traveling the opposite direction with shows like the one Friday at the Golden Bear.

Currently without a record deal, the Englishman (who will also perform at the Beverly Theatre tonight and the Bacchanal in San Diego on Tuesday) delivered a chunk of hard-driving, moody blues that quickly exposed the main reason for his riches-to-rags story: It’s been several years since he has managed to produce inspired, meaty material on which to hang his Hendrix-derived guitar flash.

Of the fistful of new tunes Trower introduced, “The Last Time” was the strongest. But they all paled next to songs from his “Bridge of Sighs” LP, which constituted a full third of the set--and also happens to be 11 years old.