POP AND JAZZ REVIEWS : Fogelberg Recalls Innocent Times

Attending a Dan Fogelberg show is like stepping back two decades in time to an innocent era when pop-folk balladeers reigned.

On Sunday at the packed Greek Theatre, the singer-songwriter, who’s been recording since the early ‘70s, played to an audience apparently starved for that kind of innocence. But if you were looking for songs with any kind of an edge you were in the wrong place.

Backed by a trio, Fogelberg, who plays both guitar and piano, served up huge helpings of skin-deep, milquetoast music, full of the kind of sappy sentiments you’ll find on greeting cards.

He manages to write about romance and relationships without a trace of humor, irony, darkness or tension.

Fogelberg sang nearly all ballads, mixing material from his new album, “River of Souls,” with an assortment of oldies, some dating to such early ‘70s albums as “Souvenirs” and “Home Free.”

If you have a strong appetite for sentiment and don’t care to look beyond Fogelberg’s pleasant, lilting voice and pretty melodies, you can have a good time at his shows.

Although he seems like a bland performer, he obviously knows how to connect with his audience, and even a downpour near the end of the show didn’t seem to dampen their enthusiasm.