POP MUSIC REVIEW : CLAPTON TRUE TO BLUES-ROCK

The Guitar Hero--once the epitome of rock ‘n’ roll’s power, mystique and flamboyance--has become a victim of the changes that have swept rock in the last 10 years or so. Synthesizers on one hand and roots-rock on the other, a growing distrust of virtuosity, the coming of age of a new audience removed from the impact of Hendrix and company--all have contributed to the decline of this deity.

But, if the species doesn’t thrive, some of the originals do survive. While Jimmy Page has jumped from Led Zeppelin to the Firm and continues to command a young, hard-rock following, Eric Clapton has remained true to his blues-rock course and holds a smaller and older audience.

Both Clapton and those fans delivered in reliable fashion on Wednesday at the Universal Amphitheatre, where the tone was set by the initial image: a spotlight hitting Clapton’s guitar, propped up in its stand, before the band even came onto the stage.

The question, of course, is whether the Englishman wants to be known as more than just a guitar hero. His illustrious 22-year career--from the Yardbirds to the Bluesbreakers to Cream to Derek & the Dominoes to his various ‘70s and ‘80s bands--has yielded recordings that offer much more than mere fret-board flash, most notably the transcendent “Layla.” And Clapton has done shows here that downplayed the virtuosity to emphasize his singing, writing, et al.

But, this time through, Clapton gave ‘em what they wanted, unleashing a generous number of extended, high-voltage solos--much to the audible delight of the crowd. If he harbored any resistance or felt a little like a trained-animal act, he did a good job of hiding it.

If the show was strong on execution by Clapton and his six-member band, it was short on ambition and concept. Clapton’s newer material didn’t stand out from the pack, and the orientation was essentially backward-looking--he got one of the evening’s biggest cheers when he announced that “this is a very old song.”

Clapton, not the most dynamic man in rock, can get by on his quiet dignity, but the solo turns by his backup singers--a raunchy, red-hot-mama routine by Shaun Murphy and a rococo, overwrought ballad version of the Beatles’ “She Loves You” by Marcy Levy--tended to disrupt the mood. Their tarted-up look also clashed with the band’s basic, blue-collar stance. Probably the show’s most entertaining sight was hulking bassist Donald (Duck) Dunn thumping out the tricky lines of “I Shot the Sheriff” while holding a cigarette between his third and fourth fingers.

Graham Parker was a driving force in the mid-’70s rock upheaval, yet here he was Wednesday opening the show for the veteran Clapton. It’s a compatible pairing in that Parker, like Clapton, uses soul, R&B; and reggae foundations as taking-off points for his own personalized expressions.

Once heralded as a can’t-miss performer, Parker has seen his career dip and dive, but he seems to have regained some stability with his current “Steady Nerves” album. Wednesday’s set was solid and concise, but it’s unfortunate that an artist who was once considered an original now reminds you of better-known figures like Elvis Costello and John Hiatt. Still, the crowd responded warmly, and attentive guitar freaks got the extra treat of a fine performance from the estimable Brinsley Schwartz.

The same bill plays the Pacific Amphitheatre on Monday.