POP MUSIC REVIEW : An Irreverent Van Morrison

It sounded like a sure bet for sheer transcendence personified--Van Morrison, the rock great most inclined toward pure religious reverie, performing one of his rare gigs on Easter Sunday, of all days. Surely, fans figured, glossolalia would ensue.

But Morrison is also one of the most contrary of all rock iconoclasts, and apparently no steadfast respecter of holidays. Ironically or otherwise, his sold-out show on Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium found the Man of the moment in the most secular--even irreverent--mood possible, all but ignoring the spirituals that dominate his recent catalogue in favor of cranky rants, romantic serenades and all the crowd-pleasing hits a casual fan would want to hear.

The extemporaneous call-and-response moments with his backup group were a giveaway, with cliches and non sequitur phrases such as “Kilroy was here!” being repeatedly sung amid unrelated numbers with the passion of gospel refrains. By the time of the closing “Gloria,” when Morrison announced, “It’s time for elocution lessons,” and led his band through a slow child’s phonetic reading of the title letters, the show had ventured well into goofball territory.

So did this all make for one of Morrison’s best shows? More to the point, as the trumpeter-cum-barker kept asking the crowd at show’s end, “Did Ye Get Healed?” The answer, in both cases, was no, though the 6,300 worshipers seemed as ecstatically grateful for the amiable, good-time feel here as for the out-of-body experiences produced by previous shows.

Whereas Morrison’s last L.A. appearance three years back at Universal Amphitheatre had a hard-hitting, soul-revue feel, this six-piece band had a lighter, more genteel touch--and a more eclectic one too, seeing as the sextet’s two most dominant instruments were vibraphone and soprano saxophone. This different flavor was intriguing, and the players proved predictably talented, but as a unit they never quite coalesced into the hoped-for overdrive.

Still, the chance to see Morrison being moved more by mischief than the Spirit provided two hours of impish Irish-R&B; fun and enough hip office fodder to last the faithful through Pentecost.