POP MUSIC REVIEW : Clockwork Concert by ZZ Top

Its prevailing raunchiness aside, ZZ Top’s show on Sunday at Irvine Meadows had all the trappings of a Disneyland attraction.

Virtually every moment of the Texas blues ‘n’ boogie trio’s performance was dictated by special effects, choreographed moves, and a techno-conscious concept that stanched spontaneity.

Locked into recorded rhythm and synthesizer parts on many songs, hemmed in by the demands of computerized lighting design and mechanized gags, committed to a near-constant sequence of movements and gestures related to its well-defined video identity, ZZ Top had about as much freedom to depart from the script as a Disney mannequin.

At least Billy Gibbons provided the throbbing, simultaneously corrosive and gleaming guitar sound that is ZZ’s main feature. But there was nothing to challenge him or prod him in unexpected directions. ZZ’s musical palette of chugging rockers, boogies and the occasional slow blues is narrow; under the weight of by-the-numbers arrangements, sameness was bound to set in.

In one of his few asides to the audience, Gibbons practically acknowledged that this “Recycler” show really was about recycling, rather than fresh approaches. After trilling a few notes during “Blue Jean Blues,” he said: “That (lick) wasn’t on the record. That was just something special for tonight.” In this clockwork concert, sticking to the record and to the script was the order of business.

(It should be noted that ZZ Top was playing under sad circumstances: Last week police arrested a man who led them to the body of the wife of Bill Ham, ZZ Top’s manager and record producer since the band’s inception 22 years ago. The band did not mention her death during the show.)

Second-billed Extreme, a platinum-selling pop-metal group, met with a tepid crowd response, despite turning in a lively set that was well-sung and well-played, although not especially original.