POP MUSIC REVIEW : Superfest Runs Out of Steam

In closing the marathon Budweiser Superfest at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the young, red-hot team of Bell Biv DeVoe ignored an old show-biz rule--and it cost the R&B;/hip-hop performers their audience.

The idea is to save your best for last, but the group--a spin-off from New Edition--started with its strongest and best-known material, including the former Top 10 single “Poison.” As a result, by the half-way mark in Bell Biv DeVoe’s 40-minute set Saturday, the group--which has only released one album--didn’t have enough songs left that the audience wanted to hear.

So people started streaming for the exits. Much of the crowd, estimated at between 40,000 and 45,000, had been on hand since early afternoon. By the end of the set at 8:40 p.m., only about a quarter of the audience was left.

And the truth is: Those who left early didn’t miss anything--just some droning ballads. It also didn’t help that the sound mix during the group’s set was so fragmented that you could barely hear the vocals and only part of the instrumental sounds.

But sound problems are typical of stadium shows, and they pretty much plagued the whole line-up Saturday, which also included Keith Sweat, Ralph Tresvant, Pebbles, Digital Underground and LL Cool J.

There were other problems, most of them due to the stadium setting. Many R&B; acts depend heavily on charisma and precise vocals, factors that are sabotaged by the monumental sound distortion and the distance between the artist and most of the audience at many stadium shows. Giant television screens placed around the stage help personalize the performers at many outdoor events, but they weren’t employed at the Coliseum.

The result was that audience response--especially in those areas far from the stage--was seldom very spirited. The exception was for rapper LL Cool J, who preceded Bell Biv DeVoe. His charisma managed to transcend the obstacles of the huge Coliseum as he connected with the crowd on such songs as “I Need Love” and “Mama Said Knock You Out.” It helped, though, that sound problems were at a minimum during his show.

The early sets in the program, which started about 3 p.m., were the least interesting. Keith Sweat’s performance was a yawner. A ballad singer who counts on intimacy, he didn’t generate much heat until his closing number, the funky “I Want Her.”

Ralph Tresvant, another New Edition member whose soft, sensitive side is his big attraction, didn’t fare much better. He had no lively, upbeat numbers to grab the audience.

The set by Digital Underground, the rap group with the often wacky, funk-based songs, should have been one of the day’s highlights, but again sound problems interfered, wiping out part of the forceful instrumentation.

Aside from guest appearances by Johnny Gill and Babyface, Pebbles’ set probably got the least response. This dance-music performer, with marginal singing abilities, has a cold persona that seemed even chillier in the Coliseum. Even her funky dance tunes didn’t warm up the audience.

Despite the problems, the show did have some pluses. It ran on schedule (which isn’t always the case with outdoor package shows), with each act doing about 30-40 minutes and breaks between running 15-20 minutes.

There were a few, very minor skirmishes in the audience, but nothing like last year’s Superfest at the Rose Bowl where, toward the end, the fights drew more attention than the performances.

Heavy security precautions and restrictions on the sale of beer may have contributed to the calmer, more relaxed atmosphere.