Denver Gives Rushed Show at the Bowl

John Denver sounded in fine form at Tuesday’s opening of his three-night run at the Hollywood Bowl. His high, soaring tenor is as clear and airy as ever, and at 52, he still generates the boyish charm that made him a star in the ‘70s.

But Denver’s two brief sets, squeezed between performances by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under John Mauceri and the holiday fireworks, seemed a bit rushed. And although one can sympathize with his desire to perform something more than his greatest hits, the audience clearly was not delighted with his failure to sing such irreplaceable numbers as “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Sunshine on My Shoulder” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”

Denver’s program instead concentrated on far lesser-known items--”Eagles and Horses,” “Calypso” and a group of songs from “Foxfire” among them. Not bad tunes, but not precisely what a restless audience wanted to hear. And the brevity of his sets almost completely precluded the easygoing communication Denver usually establishes with his audiences.

On the bright side, Denver worked well with the orchestra, which supplemented his own group by adding some colorful textures to the few familiar tunes that he sang--especially “Rocky Mountain High” and “Annie’s Song.”

The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra’s two portions of the evening were dedicated to “The Wild, Wild West” and “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s America.” Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown” from “Rodeo” was the musical highlight of the former, but the fun was provided by vigorous, movie orchestra-style excerpts from Dimitri Tiomkin’s “High Noon” and Elmer Bernstein’s “The Magnificent Seven.” And the orchestra’s rich tonal character had an opportunity to shine in beautifully lyrical renderings of “If I Loved You” and “It Might as Well Be Spring.”

* John Denver, John Mauceri & the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra perform tonight at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., 7:30 p.m. Sold out. (213) 850-2000.