POP MUSIC REVIEW : Rascals Go Back to the Past Without Surrendering Present

Nine times out of 10, when a long-inactive band mounts a comeback tour, the results are at least slightly pathetic: an over-the-hill gang, hobbling from venue to venue, trying to generate some dough and recapture some limelight by coasting on the hits it scored during its heyday.

But the Rascals’ concert Sunday at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim was that prized one out of 10.

Going in, there was reason to hope for the best: The Rascals had been far more than one- or two-hit wonders. Between 1966 and ’68 alone, the band (first called the Young Rascals) had placed no fewer than six numbers in the Top 10, including three at No. 1 (“Good Lovin’,” “Groovin’,” “People Got to Be Free”).

The group that played the Celebrity featured three of the four original Rascals (singer-organist Felix Cavaliere, guitarist Gene Cornish and drummer Dino Danelli) augmented by eight musicians and vocalists who collectively seemed intent on delivering a first-rate set that would sustain, not sully, the band’s reputation.

Care and quality were apparent throughout the program. As Cornish blew a delicate harmonica opening, Cavaliere eased into a wonderful version of “Groovin’,” a sweet, gliding tune that--like many Rascals gems--sounded far more timeless than dusty.

Spurred by the propulsive power of hotshot drummer Danelli, the 11-piece unit was equally capable of generating snappy vigor; “People Got to Be Free” re-emerged as a lean rocker, topped by Cavaliere’s soulful, plaintive vocals and splashes of instrumental color by the three-piece horn section.

Clearly, the band was having a lot of fun at this point, and the feeling appeared unanimous throughout the theater.

Saving the tour de force for the end of this tour stop, the Rascals made an encore with a spirited, very extended rendition of “Good Lovin’ “--not a bloated, repetitious reading, but one fleshed out by brief segues into other olden goldies, from “La Bamba” and “Whole Lotta Love” to “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again” and “Roll Over Beethoven.”

From start to finish, the concert was a blast from the past in the best sense. The Rascals play the Universal Amphitheatre tonight, and the show is worth the drive.

Tommy James & the Shondells, who opened in Anaheim, were closer in style and spirit to a standard nostalgia act. The quintet introduced some new tunes and bolstered all the songs with lush vocal harmonies. And it was fun to hear such old faves as “Crystal Blue Persuasion” and “Crimson and Clover.” Still, the group sounded far less vital and sharp than the Rascals had.