Pop : Loveless Steals Irvine Show From Williams

As Hank Williams Jr. finished his show Friday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, his image, decked in outlaw black, was beamed behind him on a screen, along with the legend, “Maverick.”

“Maverick Jr.” would have been more apt, because any senior-grade maverick would have made sure to back up the boast with a persuasive show of musical force. All Williams could muster was a ponderous, predictable, uninvolved and muddy-sounding walk-through. “Maverick” is the name of Williams’ new album, but he wants the title without having to test the content: He didn’t bother playing anything from it during his stingy, 67-minute concert.

Hank Jr.’s outlook is dominated by egotism, hedonism and pappy-praising nepotism. Not exactly the mind-set of a Renaissance Man, but over the years Williams has been able to come at his subjects from some clever angles, and usually with a swaggering, hard-rocking sonic walk to back up all the talk. This time, all we got was the sense that Williams may finally be getting bored with himself.

Even if Williams had been up to par, Patty Loveless would have stolen the show from him. The Kentucky native didn’t sell flash, but honed in unfailingly on the emotional core of every song she performed in a varied 45 minutes of honky-tonk and rockin’ country. Opener Doug Stone marked his 36th birthday with the coltish performance of a guy who was truly happy to be on stage. Having survived quadruple-bypass surgery in late April, Stone isn’t taking his blessings for granted these days, and he turned in a solid, well-sung set.