Pop Reviews : Amy Grant Loosens Up at the Greek Theatre

You expect fans to sing along at a Christian pop concert--it’s just that kind of vibe. You don’t expect them to be given a chance to sing along to the “Green Acres” theme and the “Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut” candy bar commercial jingle.

Not only did the crowd delight in the “television’s greatest hits” played over the P.A. before Amy Grant’s show Thursday at the Greek Theatre, but the Peter-Paul confection spot actually made a nice segue into Grant’s opening song, “Fight,” a paean more inspired by that other Peter and Paul that includes the line: “Some days I try with passion / Sometimes I won’t.”

The friskiness and self-mocking, though no big deal by general pop standards, are signs of just how far the mainstream Christian pop world has come in recent years--with Grant leading the way--even more than her having a No. 1 pop success with her single, “Baby Baby.” Remember, there are some in Christian circles who wanted to slap a scarlet “A” on her for skipping and smooching in the “Baby Baby” video.

No telling how they would react to seeing Grant on Thursday wearing such, well, sexy attire as a bright orange, skin-tight top that left very little to the imagination. Yup, the former teen star of Christian pop is leaving no doubt that she’s a w-o-m-a-n--and one who puts on a state-of-the-art mainstream pop show without diminishing the explicitly Christian message.

Still, Grant (who plays the Pacific Amphitheatre tonight) gives little sense of ever having struggled with her faith or wrestled with her demons, if she has any. Maybe not having to fight those battles makes for a better life, but having to fight makes for better art.