POP WEEKEND : A SUBDUED LaBELLE SET AT SUPERFEST

Patti LaBelle gave a controlled performance as part of the seven-hour soul Superfest on Saturday at the Rose Bowl before an equally controlled, mostly orderly crowd of 40,000 fans.

Since control is not what one usually expects from LaBelle--or from anyone in this massive setting--that made for an initially disorienting, but finally satisfying, experience. On a bill that also included the Gap Band, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Maze and the Whispers--groups that offer an often more bumptious brand of R&B--LaBelle; came across as the elder stateswoman of R&B;/pop: dignified, despite her taste in wild, look-at-me hairdos.

LaBelle’s stock-in-trade on stage has always been the instant camaraderie she establishes with an audience. It’s not unusual for the Philadelphia-born belter to engage in cozy little chats throughout her performance with people in the crowd. But on Saturday’s artist-packed bill, the prevailing attitude seemed to be: forget the frills and formalities and keep it moving.

While she kept most of her theatrics reined in, LaBelle’s soaring, industrial-strength vocals had the crowd on its feet and roaring on the wistful “When You Wish Upon a Star,” a tender song she’s been accused of smothering in a hammerlock in recent concerts. She wiped her face daintily with a towel, threw it into the crowd and one of the few skirmishes of the event came in the ensuing tussle.

Although a stadium set-up may not give LaBelle a chance to interact intimately with an audience, it was still more gratifying to see her tame a bordering-on-camp stage bravado that can be overwhelming.

Following her on stage was Atlantic Starr, a group short on crowd-pleasing personality, but well-stocked with a repertoire of love songs that came across well even in a stadium setting. The absence of video screens rendered most of the group’s movements insignificant to anyone not sitting directly in front of the stage, but the sound quality on soothing ballads like “Send for Me” and their current crossover hit “Always” were fair compensation.

Headliner Luther Vandross--who was reviewed at length during his recent Forum appearance--was the star of the evening in more ways than one. Where his energy level lagged in spots, the sheer gorgeousness of his voice never disappointed. “It’s been a long day,” he told the audience before launching into a string of love ballads, “but it’s nighttime now.” He then proceeded to demonstrated that there isn’t another singer on the R&B;/pop scene who can beat him in the goose bumping-inducing vocals category.