CAPSULE REVIEW : Dazzling Lack of Direction for Rapid-Fire Eurythmics

As Michael Jackson sang in “Smooth Criminal”: Annie, are you OK? Are you OK, Annie?

Eurythmics lead singer Annie Lennox may not have been hit by a criminal’s knockout punch, but something--commercial desire or just lack of vision--has lent a somewhat shell-shocked quality to the way she and the band now lurch from style to style, from song to song, like a chameleon that’s been hit by a blow and lost its senses.

Not that this rapid, random change of colors is an unpleasant thing to watch. The group’s show Monday night at the Universal Amphitheater was, for the most part, a dazzlingly entertaining recap of its eight-album career, even if a longtime fan might bemoan the now-complete lack of direction in a band that earlier this decade seemed poised to lead the pop way, careful progression by progression.

New visual and strong musical statements were in short supply, but there was fun to be had in how Lennox and guitarist/producer Dave Stewart played fast and loose with the arrangements of some old favorites.

A complete review of the Eurythmics’ show will appear in Wednesday’s Calendar section.