POP MUSIC REVIEW : No-Frills Flight of Fancy With Alan Jackson

COSTA MESA — When Alan Jackson started chasing that neon rainbow a few years ago, he certainly had no idea he’d be headlining huge amphitheaters before he’d gotten his foot out of the honky-tonk. Jackson’s hour-plus concert at the Pacific Amphitheatre on Friday showed that the talented singer is still catching up with his sudden stardom.

Despite a string of hit singles--including “Someday,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” and the current “Love’s Got a Hold on You”--Jackson didn’t come close to filling the 18,000-capacity outdoor theater. It was just as well that the fans were clumped into the front and center sections, because Jackson played the huge venue with as little pretension as if he were doing three sets a night at the neighborhood bar.

In contrast to such flamboyant country stars as Garth Brooks, who swings from the rafters, and new heartthrob Billy Ray Cyrus, who shakes and shimmies, the unassuming Jackson mostly relied on his music alone to reach the crowd. The only flashy effects were stage fog to add to the eerie feeling of his recent hit “Midnight in Montgomery,” about an encounter with the ghost of Hank Williams, and a giant replica of a Wurlitzer with “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.”

Jackson’s stage patter was minimal as he concentrated on packing a generous song list of 19 numbers into the brief show. (In fact, the way he rushed from song to song made it seem as if he hasn’t realized that he is no longer an opening act, but the star folks come to see.) And, with the exception of a few kicks and knee bends as well as frequent winsome looks over his shoulder, Jackson remained almost stationary the entire evening.

His music was strong enough, however, that by the end of the evening he had the crowd whooping and hollering and dancing in the aisles with as much enthusiasm as if he had been turning cartwheels and setting off fireworks. Jackson’s best songs--”Blue Blooded Woman,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” and “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” for example--are filled with such snappy melodies and clever wordplay that they can hold an audience’s attention without supplementary visual effects.

In addition to playing over half the songs (and all the hits) from his two albums, Jackson introduced three numbers from his next album, “A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ‘Bout Love),” which is scheduled to be released early next month. The new songs were so catchy (sample refrains: “I don’t need the booze to get a buzz on” and “she’s got the rhythm, I’ve got the blues”) that they drew almost as strong a response as the singer’s familiar hits. Jackson showed his imagination and versatility, as well as his affinity for vintage cars, by encoring with “Mercury Blues,” an obscure R&B; chestnut that former Jackson Browne sideman David Lindley unearthed for a 1981 solo album.

Jackson got strong musical support throughout the evening from his six-piece band, the Strayhorns. Lead guitarist Danny Groah and steel player Robbie Flint contributed some short but tasty solos. But the band only got a chance to really cut loose on one number--the gospel rave up, “What Kind of Man.” Jackson could flesh out his show and augment its musical strengths by giving his band members more opportunities to show off their skills.

Jackson’s brief but powerful show Friday indicated that he is only about a tour away from becoming one of the monster performers of country’s new breed. As he grows into his stardom and becomes more comfortable as a headliner, he may follow in the footsteps of his idols Merle Haggard and George Jones, who continue to generate excitement without resorting to the flash and pizazz of the modern concert business.

If Jackson is still learning the ropes of playing arena-size venues, opening act Diamond Rio, also a relative newcomer, is already tying double bowlines, figure eights and other fancy knots. In its 55-minute set, which started with the group harmonizing to the classic country yodel of “Cattle Call” and ended with the six men running around the stage like maniacs during their version of the band’s big hit “Norma Jean Riley,” Diamond Rio didn’t miss an opportunity to excite the crowd. The result was that Diamond Rio was more appealing in concert than it is on record.

Lead singer Marty Roe’s lively stage presence, along with the meaty licks of lead guitarist Jimmy Olander and the hot mandolin picking of Gene Johnson, brought to life such Diamond Rio radio hits as “Mirror Mirror” and “Meet in the Middle.” The center piece of the 10-song set was a bluegrass medley in which Olander played some dazzling electric banjo.