Personable Fogelberg Keeps It Light

The intimacy of Dan Fogelberg’s solo-acoustic performance at the Freedman Forum on Friday night worked for and against the veteran singer-songwriter. Ultimately, though, the warm atmosphere only amplified the Colorado-based performer’s flaws, particularly as a storyteller.

First, the good news. A playful side of the ‘70s-era, soft pop-rock hit-maker and balladeer emerged in his nearly two-hour performance. Seated throughout, he sipped coffee, cracked jokes and chatted freely--and refreshingly apolitically--with a small but adoring audience.

But the music left a far less favorable impression. Despite racking up millions in sales since his 1972 debut, much of Fogelberg’s recorded work has been characterized by heavily orchestrated, bland material. Synthesizers and strings turned many of his earnest, folk-based songs into mushy messes, a fact Fogelberg seems to acknowledge in the liner notes of his new four-CD anthology, “Portrait,” calling his hit “Longer” “the one that put me on elevators.”

When Fogelberg, 47, writes about relationships, for example, the lyrics lack the contradictions, tension, electricity or humor that make romance such a ripe subject. (“Make Love Stay” poses an intriguing question--that is, how to keep love alive?--without postulating any answers.) And his obtuse language often leaves the attentive listener grappling for meaning, as in these lines from “The Reach”: “I will take from the reach / what she has to teach / to the depths of my soul.”

At times, Fogelberg, either on guitar or piano, played with the interpretive skills of a John Hammond or the insight of a Neil Young. A string of unexpected selections found the suddenly adventuresome musician searching for something more--and finding it.

A slide blues number, “Nature of the Game,” offered some searing guitar work and growling vocal cries. Affectionate renditions of Tim Hardin’s “If I Were a Carpenter” and the Beatles’ “I Need You” followed, with the latter spotlighting Fogelberg on what he described as a “Nashville, high-strung, 12-string guitar” in a slower-paced, tenderly played and downright soulful cover.

Fewer than 800 people turned out for the show. Perhaps local concert-goers have grown wary of the 2,500-capacity venue since its recent spate of last-minute cancellations. Or maybe Fogelberg just doesn’t have the loyal fan base one might expect for a guy who has reaped so much platinum and gold.

* Dan Fogelberg performs Feb. 3 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. 8 p.m. $29-$54 (805) 449-2787.