POP MUSIC REVIEW : MISSING PERSONS: A DISPLAY OF TACKINESS AND TALENT

“Do you hear me? Do you care?” Well, you couldn’t really hear Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons at the Palace on Friday night as she sang this oh-so-profound line from the group’s hit, “Words,” to a sold-out crowd (who obviously did care). Neither apparently could Bozzio hear herself because she constantly left the stage to confer with the soundman.

Sound problems weren’t the only distraction plaguing the first live show in more than a year by this harbinger of Hollywood New Wave. A leaky fog machine resulted in a flurry of stagehands throwing towels around amplifiers in an spectacle worthy of off-the-cuff absurdists like Laurie Anderson or David Byrne.

But little is as absurd as Bozzio herself. In her black vinyl tummy-baring outfit, Bozzio is a new-wave Barbie doll, squeaking out the quartet’s canny pop hooks in the thinnest of voices. There’s almost an air of endearing amateurism about Bozzio. Shaking her fist endlessly and gulping for air like a goldfish out of water, she stands as a shining inspiration for every shower singer who has ever dreamed of rock ‘n’ roll glory.

Luckily, the three other Persons (especially Bozzio’s husband, drummer Terry) are outstanding musicians. Mixing elements of pearly white funkiness, strong pop accessibility and dynamic rhythms, the new music is a catchy brand of Tommorrowland-pop. A great paradox: Missing Persons’ combination of tackiness and talent represents a mixture of crass/class--just like the L.A. it reflects. The group will be at Bogart’s in Long Beach tonight and Tuesday.