POP MUSIC REVIEWS : SHEILA E. RESCUED BY A CHARMING PRINCE

Sheila E., who got her big break as the opening act for his highness Prince, inadvertently ended up in that role again Thursday night at the Universal Amphitheatre.

Though she was the headliner, her often sluggish and self-indulgent performance didn’t really give the near-capacity crowd much to shout about.

While the singer-percussionist’s two albums contain a fair share of party-inducing tunes, Ms. E. concentrated on her weakest material, from the neo-beatnik hipster groove of “Yellow” to a belabored acting out of “Toy Box” and “Bedtime Story” (complete with the star decked out in flannel jammies and cuddling a stuffed bunny).

It’s not that the evening lacked variety. Sheila E. tried on more fur coats than Liberace and did a drum solo so long that it would have even tired Gene Krupa. It’s just that it was all so flat.

The show really began around 11 p.m. when Prince came on stage for an unannounced appearance with his new, expanded Revolution band. He took command of Sheila’s recent hit, “Love Bizarre,” exciting the crowd with a series of electrifying dance steps and a warm manner--he shook hands with dozens of fans pressed against the stage.

By the midpoint in the nearly 30-minute encore, Sheila E.’s band had been relegated to the wings as Prince and crew skipped through his “America” and his latest James Brown-flavored single, “Kiss.” Even the folks seen dozing earlier perked up for the night’s true star.

Local band the Untouchables opened the bill with a ska-oriented set that didn’t really go anywhere until it lit into the anthem-like “Free Yourself,” a tune with a lot of the energy (and sound) of “Land of 1,000 Dances.”