POP MUSIC REVIEW : Richards: Stand Up for Rock : At 49, the Rolling Stones guitarist maintains his passion for blues-based music and new directions too.

At an age that few fans once even imagined he’d ever live to see, Keith Richards received a standing ovation Saturday night at the Universal Amphitheatre for just walking on stage.

And survival is worth celebrating, especially given all the former excesses in the life of the man who virtually defined the concept of renegade rock guitarist.

But Richards, 49, refuses to rest on his laurels. On the road again with his X-Pensive Winos band, he played with a passion and joy that was as infectious as the sensual, blues-based music that he helped make famous with the Rolling Stones.

Frequently smiling warmly, Richards twisted and turned on stage with the natural flow of the rhythm as he delivered an imaginative, fast-paced two-hour set.

Although Mick Jagger has always been the most celebrated Rolling Stone, Richards may stand in today’s rock world as the more influential figure--a symbol on stage of rock purity that wasn’t declared obsolete by the punk revolution of the late ‘70s.

Axl Rose would look ludicrous to a contemporary audience, for instance, if he imitated the old campy exhibitionism of Mick Jagger, but it is just fine for Guns N’ Roses sidekick Slash to emulate Keith Richards--right down to the trademark dazed stance.

Yet it’s music, not image, that Richards celebrated Saturday--opening with a spirited version of Eddie Cochran’s old “Somethin’ Else” and later offering a slow, bluesy interpretation of the Stones’ classic “Gimme Shelter.”

But Richards wants to move forward--and his new songs, while not as enthralling as the best of the Stones material, are creditable vehicles for his band that includes four holdovers from his 1988 solo tour: drummer Steve Jordan, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, keyboardist Ivan Neville and saxophonist Bobby Keys.

On that first tour, it wasn’t clear if Richards was committed to a solo role. The whole project could simply have been an angry response to Jagger’s own solo albums and tour of Japan.

Now, the solo excursion seems not only part of Richards’ musical life, but possibly his real future. While there will be at least one more mammoth stadium trek for the Stones, the Winos give Richards freedom on stage to explore new musical nuances and directions--among them his interests in reggae and Memphis-styled ballads, including the affecting new “Hate It When You Leave,” a stand-out Saturday.

Richards, who seemed more confident and comfortable on his own than in 1988, remains a marginal singer, but he has learned to use his backing vocalists well--not just formal backup singers Sarah Dash and Babi Floyd but also the band members.

His greatest strengths continue to be his guitar playing and his soulful instincts--and neither asset shows any sign of deserting him.

At the Amphitheatre, Richards demonstrated that he is still a vital, engaging musician--someone whose desire has not diminished by his fortune or fame. How nice after all these years to discover that Richards’ greatest addiction has always been his music.

The evening’s opening act, Soul Asylum, is one of today’s most inviting young bands; a group with a sound that falls between the accessibility of the Byrds/Tom Petty school of melody and the post-punk energy etched by fellow Minneapolis standouts the Replacements. But Dave Pirner needs to show more consistent originality and depth as a songwriter to move Soul Asylum up to the next level of American bands.