Grace Jones: Still Liberating

Grace Jones was once the cult figurehead for a wide array of netherworld, avant-trendy androgynes and subterranean night-lifers who could respond with knowing looks when the former model described herself as “feeling like a woman, looking like a man.” But those days of hedonistic liberation are gone in the wake of some tragic changes, and Jones’ first local appearance in years Saturday at the Hollywood Palladium was part of a benefit for the Center for Living, an AIDS-oriented organization.

It was more a personal appearance than a formal concert. Jones sang over pre-recorded tracks, and the few visual effects (she came on stage in a ceiling-high dress) were like a thrift-store edition of the conceptually brilliant one-woman shows she did several years ago.

Where she used to pose as an ultra-cool, robotic ice maiden, Jones on Saturday was personable, friendly and accessible. As she mixed dance classics like “Pull Up to the Bumper” with promisingly funky grooves from her new album, “Bulletproof Heart,” fans swarmed the stage, embracing Jones, dancing with her, kissing her, hoisting her in the air. Even in this loose, make-shift setting, Jones’ charisma was undeniable, creating a compassionate, celebratory state of Grace.