Jingle Ball Audience--and Police--Find Out Who’s Naughty and Nice

Pop music is unpredictable. It can be moving, disappointing, alarming. The Jingle Ball holiday concert hosted by KIIS-FM (102.7) at the Shrine Auditorium on Saturday was a microcosm of all those sentiments, gathering a broad variety of contemporary Top 40 hitmakers, with the extra bonus of an unscheduled anatomy lesson for the kids by the R&B; duo K-Ci & JoJo.

The night’s most energetic musical moments would come later, during sets by Christina Aguilera and Jon Bon Jovi. But the North Carolina soul-pop duo got the night off to a strange start when, two songs into its set, singer K-Ci (Cedric Hailey) faced the audience, which was full of teenagers and preteen girls in princess tiaras, and briefly pulled down his boxer shorts.

KIIS personality Valentine later took the stage to apologize for the unscheduled striptease, saying, “It wasn’t called for, and the appropriate action was taken--that’s all I’m going to say.” The station subsequently issued a formal apology and said that the Los Angeles Police Department “is taking appropriate actions on the complaints received.” Police said that Hailey had left the Shrine when they arrived and that detectives at the LAPD Southwest station probably wouldn’t decide until today whether any action will be taken against the singer.

When Aguilera closed the night four hours later, it was with a very different kind of energy. Marching across the stage to the vaguely Latin beats beneath the pop of “Genie in a Bottle,” Aguilera was an energetic figure in platinum hair and high-heeled boots.

The sound was relentless and extra-light. It was also somehow less contrived than those of most of her teen-pop brethren, particularly the boy bands. That’s no guarantee of staying power, but the versatility suggested by this year’s Spanish-language “Mi Reflejo” album may keep Aguilera’s career afloat when the current pop wave crashes.

Surprise guests of the night were Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora of the band Bon Jovi, which has enjoyed an unexpected return to the pop charts this year after a five-year absence. The duo arrived armed only with acoustic guitars, beginning with a few verses of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” a standard of fellow Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen.

Soon, Bon Jovi and Sambora were picking through the likes of “Livin’ on a Prayer,” the acoustic treatment more relaxed, organic and effective than the one the full band played two weeks ago at the Great Western Forum.

The Jingle Ball’s other spontaneous moment came during Third Eye Blind’s rock set, when Stevie Wonder played harmonica with the band on “Jumper” before heading over to the Forum for his own concert. Afterward, leader Stephan Jenkins declared, “This goes down right now as the coolest set we’ve ever played!”

It was a rousing moment, though disappointingly brief considering that Wonder’s appearance had been promised throughout the night. But the band’s sheer energy managed to blast through the Shrine’s uneven sound mix with songs that were catchy, if not quite memorable.

Earlier, Macy Gray and her band appeared in matching white Afro wigs and bright red outfits for a breathless soul rendition of “Winter Wonderland,” mixing good cheer with sly beats. The mix was unfortunately bass-heavy, blotting out the subtler grooves of Gray’s modern soul. Normally a powerful stage performer, Gray was unable to connect deeply with the crowd, which seemed most excited about the teen pop acts on the bill, such as 98 Degrees, which earned a standing ovation merely by showing up on stage, hands over their hearts.

Their set was well-choreographed, but the quartet was ultimately just another boy band singing weepy ballads and hyperactive dance songs while four dancing girls spun around them. At least they kept their pants on.