Vertical Horizon Shows the Pleasure of Smooth Pop

Personality usually counts in rock, but not always. Sometimes good vibes are enough. Listen to the band Vertical Horizon and the sound you’ll hear is not particularly distinctive, or even memorable. And yet the music somehow works as pure, pleasant pop, both organic and seemingly genuine.

At the House of Blues on Thursday, the quartet stood on a stage covered in Persian carpets for a concert that was taped for broadcast on VH1. But even the lights and video cameras didn’t prevent the band from connecting in a meaningful way with its audience.

The New England group was often reminiscent of Live, and not just because of singer Matt Scannell’s shaved head. In such songs as “We Are” there was that same blend of emotional rock melody with light alternative touches. It’s been enough to earn the band some airplay on modern rock stations. But Vertical Horizon was mostly free of Live’s recent bombast.

If the band’s live performance actually displayed less sonic muscle than its hit debut album, “Everything You Want,” the group made up for it on Thursday with palpable enthusiasm and warmth. It was all in celebration of smooth, inoffensive pop music, not unlike the old Rick Springfield song played overhead immediately after the band finished its set.