POP MUSIC REVIEW : Judds Keep Farewell Spirit High

Wynonna Judd was in a playful mood Sunday at the Pacific Amphitheatre, but she clearly didn’t mean it as a joke when she announced that the performance was the Judds’ “last concert in Costa Mesa.”

It was simply a statement of fact during the Judds’ crowd-pleasing set on a night where the duo held its own against Garth Brooks, the hottest and most interesting male arrival in country music in more than a decade.

Still, the younger Judd’s reference to the duo’s final show in Costa Mesa--rather than in Southern California or at least Orange County--touched on a matter that has become a source of unexpected amusement even for some fans of country’s most famous mother-daughter team:

Just when is this farewell tour going to end?

It has been eight months now since mother Naomi Judd announced that she was retiring from active touring because of chronic active hepatitis, a potentially life-threatening disease. The retirement will mean the formal end of the Judds, one of the most successful and acclaimed duos ever in country music.

When Naomi said last October that the pair would call it quits after a lengthy farewell tour, it was possible to imagine the Judds doing something as ambitious as, say, visiting all 50 states. But, as the months and shows rolled on, you began to wonder if they also planned to say goodby in every city .

What’s next, one was tempted to ask Sunday after the Costa Mesa reference?

Goodby to Chula Vista?

Westlake Village?

And, in fact, the Judds will be back in Southern California at least once more--an early fall appearance in the San Bernardino area--on a tour that may run into December. On this swing, the Judds are also appearing at the Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield tonight, the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego on Wednesday and Selland Arena in Fresno on Thursday.

On one hand, it’s easy to see why the Judds want to continue singing together for as long as possible. Naomi--whose disease is in remission--speaks of music as a healer and she must be comforted each night by the waves of applause.

Indeed, the singer-songwriter, wearing a glittery white satin outfit, seemed even more comfortable and energetic on stage Sunday than she did last December during her goodby to Los Angeles--a benefit at the Universal Amphitheatre.

The danger in all these farewells, however, is that they could easily turn into something tacky or sentimental.

Remarkably, they haven’t.

One reason the Judds were so affecting Sunday was their restraint.

For the opening half-hour of the concert, you could feel the tension in the sold-out crowd of more than 18,700 every time either woman paused on stage between songs.

But the only references to Naomi’s problems were so gentle and general that someone in the audience who didn’t know of the retirement matter might not have even picked up on them.

The only “statement” came during the encore when Naomi introduced “Love Can Build a Bridge” merely by saying, “I believe in the power of love . . . and I believe there is always hope.”

If the women’s approach gave the performance class, it was the consistent quality of the music that enabled the pair to successfully follow Brooks.

There aren’t many artists these days in any area of pop who can successfully follow Brooks, an uncommonly convincing singer with a wonderfully refreshing energy and warmth on stage.

Brooks showed at the Pacific that he is capable of melodrama as a performer, relying on heavy-handed lighting and musical touches during “The Thunder Rolls,” a tale of infidelity and violence.

Mostly, however, he exhibits an exceptional feel for singing heartfelt material with a minimum of pretense or affectation. This is true on lively numbers, such as the wry heartache sentiments of “Not Counting You” or the rowdy independence of “Friends in Low Places.”

But Brooks is at his best conveying one of the most difficult emotions in any pop genre: tenderness. Whether by himself on acoustic guitar singing the intimate “Unanswered Prayers” or with the band on the wistful “The Dance,” he asserts an individualism and honesty as fully as the great country singers of the past, from Merle Haggard to George Jones.

If Brooks--who’ll headline the Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday and Sunday--maintains his innocence and finds some more heartwarming material in his next album, due in September, the singer--still in his 20s--may indeed be the country star of the ‘90s.

One of his rivals for that title, however, may be Wynonna Judd.

Though it’s always risky stepping into a solo role, Wynonna--who is also in her 20s--may be the most gifted female country singer since Emmylou Harris. Where the latter leans more toward the folk side of country, Judd comes at you with more of a blues or rock-ish sensibility.

Judd sings with equal personality and character on the pure country of “Grandpa,” the frisky contemporary country of “Why Not Me” and the raw “Rompin’ Stompin’ Blues.”

The challenge for Wynonna is projecting her own image on stage. With the Judds, she has been able to concentrate on singing because Naomi supplied the “personality” in concert. We’ll learn how well she can stand alone in the spotlight when she begins her first solo tour early next year.

Sunday’s long bill was opened by the Pirates of the Mississippi, a hot new group that deals in an aggressive but anonymous brand of country rock. The band’s material revolves around such stereotypical country themes as faithful dogs (“Feed Jake”) and rowdy ways.