SUPERSTARS ROCK FOR THE MOUNTAINS

The stars came out for the mountains Tuesday at the Universal Amphitheatre, as the ever-dapper Don Henley played host at a sold-out benefit for Mulholland Tomorrow, a celebrity-studded organization formed to combat housing development in the Santa Monica Mountains.

“The fact is, property doesn’t belong to anyone, because we’re all gonna die,” he explained mid-set. Well, Don always was the most sober Eagle.

Whereas most rock benefits tend to throw superstars together, sacrificing musicality for the sake of community, Tuesday’s show had the guests doing what they do best--performing individual sets, with a minimum of duets. Henley let loose a full, 90-minute-plus set, followed by a brisk half-hour from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, who hadn’t been unadvertised for the event. Then Henley’s backing band returned for another 70 minutes to support separate turns from Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks and finally Henley himself once more at the wrap-up.

The result was the most consistently superb onslaught of pop ever to grace a Los Angeles benefit, with more smartly played, fun, invigorating and morally charged music packed into four hours than all of Live Aid’s 16. Much of the credit for that goes to Henley, who sings and writes about both romantic and social responsibility with the same dry wit and dripping conviction.

The highlight among several topical additions to his usual set was his first live performance of “A Month of Sundays,” an impassioned B-side that’s the most moving of all the recent songs about the declining fortunes of the farmer.

The other performers alternated between the tried and new. Petty was at his most playful, mixing raucous oldies with lesser-played originals; Ronstadt forsook Nelson Riddle for her rock ‘n’ roll roots; Browne waxed liberal on a couple of hard-hitting new tunes rapping Reagan policy at home and abroad; and Nicks was at her cape-swirling showiest in fine duets with Petty (“Stop Dragging My Heart Around”) and Henley (“Leather and Lace”).

Henley will also rise to the defense of a couple of other causes this week: Friday he’s scheduled to debate Susan Baker of the Parents Music Resource Center and Sunday he’ll perform at the Farm Aid benefit, as will Petty.