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Jun. 12--What's the one thing that could cause a Linda Ronstadt concert to turn ugly?
You guessed it: politics.
After a half-hour of toe-tapping jazz standards punctuated by some charming stage patter, Ronstadt, 59, mentioned that she sometimes dedicated the Cole Porter tune "Get Out of Town" to President George W. Bush.
That in itself didn't ruffle many feathers, but Ronstadt had more to say. She took an applause-based poll of Bush's approval ratings - pretty low, from the sound of things - and lambasted the president's "values" of "torture and pre-emptive strikes." She added, "These aren't my values."
That tore it. Suddenly audience members were shouting at Ronstadt, and at each other.
"Shut up and sing!" a man yelled, only to receive a scolding from the other side of the room: "Be nice!" Yet another fan called out, "Remember you're 'Living in the USA,'" a pointed reference to her 1978 album.
Ronstadt said simply, "I feel like it's my obligation as an artist to kind of get a dialogue going," and then launched into the Porter song.
If the singer seemed unfazed - serene, actually - that's probably because she's been through this before. In July 2004, during a concert at the Aladdin casino in Las Vegas, her comments praising the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore prompted concertgoers to boo loudly, storm out of the venue and toss drinks at her posters. The casino ousted Ronstadt and announcing she would not be welcomed back.
We're living in interesting times when oldies concerts can erupt in chaos. What's next, fist-fights at Paul Anka? Bottle-throwing during Tony Bennett? It's a good thing Bush is a uniter, not a divider - imagine where we'd be if he meant to polarize the country.
Oh, the rest of Ronstadt's concert? It was split roughly between old standards from her albums recorded with bandleader Nelson Riddle and her radio hits from the '70s and beyond. Six musicians and two vocalists provided competent arrangements while Ronstadt sang with the graceful phrasing and purity of tone that comes to her so naturally.
Ronstadt has never been completely convincing as a jazz singer. She certainly has affection for the old material, and she's studied it carefully. (Her monologue on the merits of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" was more moving than her rendition of it.) Overall, she sang these tunes prettily but too casually, making them sound as familiar as "Happy Birthday."
What Ronstadt really loves are the blues, gospel, soul and early rock. She added some grit to The Orioles' "It's Too Soon To Know," soared through Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby" and closed with Roy Orbison's cinematic "Blue Bayou."
Before that, though, there was more drama. In the middle of the show, the stage abruptly went pitch-black and silent. Was the venue bouncing Ronstadt for her political statements?
No, it was only the result of a lightning storm. The power came back quickly, Ronstadt wrapped up her show, and a standing ovation proved that all was forgiven.
LINDA RONSTADT. The pop singer turns rabble-rouser. Seen Friday at North Fork Theatre at Westbury.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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