Variety On the Town

Spears' Show - Blink and You'll Miss it

Britney Spears proved that her 15 minutes of fame weren't up Thursday night at the Hollywood House of Blues when she performed a 15 minute set complete with all that has been buzzed about in her recent Socal gigs: the lip-synching, the pink bra and the sloppy brunette wig. In fact Spears’ opener, Latin crooner Frankie J., played a longer set — a whole 30 minutes. The most intoxicating part of the night was Spears' belly dancer moves; evidence that she hasn't lost it after two kids and three years offstage. Leading up to the show, some Spears’ impersonators in the balcony were busy having their 15 minutes.  Spellbound fans in the mosh pit below pointed to the sky, exclaiming “That’s her! That’s her!”  The evening’s doppelganger mood lasted for a few seconds into the performance when the spotlight shined on what appeared to be four blonde Britneys. Alas, it was just the diva’s back-up dancers who bore an uncanny resemblance to her. One fan in the balcony who wasn’t impersonating Spears was Lindsay Lohan. Sneaking out a back gate onto Sunset Blvd. after the show, Lohan exclaimed, “Britney was great!” (A. D'Alessandro)

A Look Backstage

Christina Aguilera’s main man at her concert Tuesday night in Los Angeles wasn’t her husband Jordan Bratman. Instead, it  was Jamie King, director and visionary of her jazz, rhythm and blues show, “Back to Basics.”

Seconds after opening act The Pussycat Dolls slinked offstage, King took his spot at the Staple Center control booth and discussed with On The Town the diva’s design while various dark-clad techies buzzed around.

“We wanted the theme to stick with the album’s title, ‘Back to Basics.’ So, it’s old mixed in with the new. You have old ‘20s and ‘30s elements made modern in the show,” said King minutes before raising the curtain on Aguilera. “It’s Christina’s first time out there alone," he said. "Last time we were in L.A. she performed with Justin (Timberlake). She’s grown up and commands the stage.”

A choreographer who began his career as a back-up dancer for Prince, King has quickly become a highly coveted pop concert director, and has worked with Madonna, Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin.

King's goal is to work with each performer to try to incorporate their own personal elements and artistic growth in the show.  While Madonna’s horse accident was fodder for her “Confessions” tour, Aguilera’s musical time warp is center stage in “Basics,” beginning with a ‘70s disco rendition of “Ain’t No Other Man” and ultimately segueing to a ‘20s carnival rendition of “Dirrty.”

“This is a baby, Christina and I had,” says King about “Basics,” “Now it’s a beast and it grows and matures on its own.”  (A. D’Alessandro)

"Beat It, Wally!" With pleasure.

You never know what to expect from benefit concerts. Sometimes bands don’t show up. Sometimes bands do and you wish they didn’t. And then there’s nights like "Beat It, Wally!" at Glendale's historic Alex Theater, where everyone makes good and you’re lucky to be there.

The occasion was for the benefit of Wally "Llama" Ingram, a cancer-battling, insurance-deprived drummer who has worked with Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, Garbage, Crowded House, Keb’ Mo and Bonnie Raitt. And that’s (among those) who showed up, which probably means that he’s more reliable and steadfast than many drummers I’ve known.

Show highlights: The Section Quartet, performing Led Zeppelin’s "Heartbreaker" on violins and cello; the mind-bendingly growly smooth blues performance by Keb’ Mo’, the appearance of Crowded House (a surprise add, having arrived that morning from New Zealand) and Shirley Manson holding forth like the 21st-century torch singer that she is.

Also more than worthy were the Martinis, a band lead by Joey Santiago, the Pixies’ (former? At this point, not sure) swirly sound guitarist and Linda Mallari, who bears an odd resemblance to a sunnier Kim Deal, with a special appearance by Pixies’ drummer David Lovering. A bonus round followed with Santiago, Lovering and guitarist Eric McFadden performing "Gouge Away."

The inevitable closing jam went on a little too long, but it was kicked off with the appearance of a gray-bearded George Clinton, who stomped around the stage demanding "We want the funk!" Sheryl Crow did her best to comply.