POP MUSIC REVIEW : Moody Blues Keep on Going . . . and Going . . . and Going

The Moody Blues’ career has spanned three decades, which may merit some points for longevity, but the band also lost some points for a Pacific Amphitheatre show Friday that seemed to last about three decades.

It wasn’t just that the English quintet (augmented by a second keyboardist and two female singers) didn’t know when to quit, although that was emblematic of Friday’s overblown snooze-a-rama:

Just before the 90-minute mark, the group lit into a long version of “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)” that came as close to jamming as the Moody Blues gets--spurred by guitarist Justin Hayward’s extended, fiery soloing while bassist John Lodge and the two singers engaged in some animated shenanigans--before the band shifted into a bombastic coda.

Everything indicated that this song would be the finale--and it should have been. But the set continued for another 30 minutes, not counting encores. Of course, filtered through the Moody time warp, those 30 minutes were divided among just three selections, including the 1968 epic “Nights in White Satin.”

But even the newer material, which reflects a preference for more straightforward song-oriented music, wasn’t sharp or focused, much less inspiring. Songs such as “Want to Be With You” (from the current “Sur La Mer” LP) were slow, deadly dull voyages into wispy sonic clouds. So even the Moody Blues’ shortest songs managed to be painfully overlong Opening act Glass Tiger, on the other hand, had only half an hour to work with but used its time so effectively that it seemed shorter. The quintet--also joined by two female vocalists--hit the stage with “It’s Love U Feel,” a peppy pop-rocker that sported a huge, gleaming sound, thanks largely to Sam Reid’s varied keyboard textures.

But at least equally important to the spunk of that and other numbers: Singer Alan Frew, looking vaguely Bono-ish with his hair pulled into a ponytail, has become a much more forceful, expressive vocalist and more dynamic front man since the Canadian group’s previous tour.

In fact, those who dismissed Glass Tiger as just another purveyor of slick radio-ready rock a la Toto or Loverboy may have to slightly revise that assessment, in the wake of the group’s new “Diamond Sun” LP and Friday’s performance.

There’s still no question that the band is mining a safe, commercial rock vein--no one is going to confuse Glass Tiger with Pere Ubu--but it includes some lyrical and musical twists in an effort to transcend mere pop pabulum. Can you imagine Toto recruiting Irish folk music band extraordinaire the Chieftains to play on one of its tunes, as Glass Tiger did with “My Song”? Of course, Glass Tiger’s decision to perform “My Song” on Friday--with Reid’s synthesizers replicating the Chieftains’ contribution--was a mite less impressive.

The set’s true low point, though, was “(Watching) Worlds Crumble” a lumbering tune that grasped for lyrical significance far beyond the band’s reach. But, overall, Glass Tiger could give corporate rock a good--well, better--name. It’s already the kind of band that had four fans down front singing all the words and rockin’ out--and who didn’t bother staying for the Moody Blues. Smart.