POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Sky Cries Mary, Sweet 75 and Hovercraft Rock in Long Beach

In the hero-obsessed world of modern rock, the idea of such figures as Eddie Vedder and Nirvana survivor Krist Novoselic being able to mingle virtually unmolested among young fans borders on “X-Files”-level surreal.

That, though, was the scene Monday at the Cal State Long Beach Student Union, where Novoselic’s new band Sweet 75 and Hovercraft (which includes Vedder’s wife, Beth Liebling) opened a concert headlined by fellow Seattle ensemble Sky Cries Mary.

With Sky Cries Mary’s musical mantras and projected mandalas, it was as if a ‘60s college dance had been hijacked by hippie marauders. The band spun a space-Gothic web of sound at the point where the Jefferson Airplane, Siouxsie Sioux and the Orb all meet.

Hovercraft had set the tone earlier with a sometimes mesmerizing 20-minute space-noise jam a la Pink Floyd at Pompeii. (Vedder occasionally sits in with the trio, but was present here merely as supportive spouse.)

On the surface, Sweet 75 seemed the odd band out, treading a more conventional rock trio territory.

But the modal excursions favored by Novoselic (mostly playing electric 12-string guitar) and singer-bassist Yva Las Vegas carried echoes of the mid-’80s Gothic underground as well as hints of Zeppelinesque Arabiana.

With tentative plans for an album next summer, this is obviously a band still finding its focus, but this pressure-less setting was perfect for a test run.

* Sky Cries Mary, Sweet 75 and Hovercraft play Thursday, at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, 8 p.m. $12.50. (714) 496-8927. Also Friday at the Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 8 p.m. $10. (310) 276-6168.