Review: No Doubt top of the hop

Monday, April 1, 2002 | 8:20 a.m.

There was a moment during Saturday night's sold-out show by No Doubt at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, as lead vocalist Gwen Stefani gripped the microphone and slalomed her way through "Sunday Morning," when the 90-minute experience could be summed up in three words:

Lucky mike stand.

Touring behind the CD, "Rock Steady," the latest and fourth release in the Orange County, Calif., band's often tumultuous 15-year recording career, No Doubt has displayed its relevance and growing popularity by gracing the cover of the January Rolling Stone and opening for U2 on the band's "Elevation" tour, reaching millions of fans previously unfamiliar with the band's catchy collection of hits and its inspired live show.

"Rock Steady," fueled by the ode-to-groupies "Hey Baby," peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard charts and is a product of experimentation. The album was recorded in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Jamaica, with masterminds Ric Ocasic (formerly of the Cars) and Prince providing some production expertise.

The result is a fusion of ska, raggae, hip-hop and dance hall (though if you're at a No Doubt show watching Stefani drop to the floor and do push-ups during "Just a Girl," and you're trying to sort out if the music is more ska than hip-hop, you're missing the point).

All of No Doubt's songs were crafted by guitarist Tom Dumont and bassist Tony Kanal (Stefani's ex who wrote the lyrics of "Sunday Morning" about the couple's 1997 breakup,) and at the center is Stefani. No Doubt leans heavily on the stage command of the striking 32-year-old vocalist, supplying just enough of a side show to complement her whirling-dervish dance moves.

Drummer Adrian Young does his part, a blurry blob hammering away behind a drum set brightly illuminated in pastels -- reminding children of the '80s of the memory game Simon. And, when Young was trotted out front during "In My Head," a highlight from "Rock Steady," it was difficult to tell if the young percussionist was, in fact, wearing any undergarments. We'll give him credit for a well-placed G-string, but it was a visually close call.

Kanal, wearing spiked blond hair, has perfected a move embraced by most rock bassists -- turning sideways, bending slightly at the knees and pumping his head like a chicken. He and Young supplied a booming rhythm section that gives No Doubt a sonic sound in live performance it doesn't attain on CD. On guitar, wearing a sports coat and bemused expression, was Dumont, casually presiding over the show like a chaperone but always keeping his fingers dancing.

Joining the four-member lineup were a two-man keyboard-and-horn section and a trio of boa-clad dancers -- The Pussycat Dancers -- who stepped out during "Hey Baby" and ground it down with Stefani.

No doubt, Stefani was the ringleader. Wearing bold blue-and-white striped pants, a black bra scrawled with the "Rock Steady" album logo and a necktie someone tossed onstage at the start of the show, the platinum-blond singer assuredly dictated the proceedings.

When Stefani bounced, the crowd (ranging in age from the early 20s to fortysomethings and cutting across all cultures and, apparently, sexual orientation) sprang into action. When she spun, we were left dizzy. When she clapped, we suddenly found rhythm, and when she thrust the mike at the crowd, it was time to sing.

"Where are we tonight?" shouted Stefani, not one to spend an inordinate amount of sharing patter with the audience. When the crowd boomed back "Las Vegas," she smirked and said, "Thought so."

No Doubt performed all of its hits and spirited dance cuts, which generously featured Stefani's high-flying vocals. She raced through "Just A Girl," "Happy Now," "Underneath It All," "Tragic Kingdom," "Hey You." The two-song encore, wrapping up an action-packed 90 minutes, were Stefani's favorite No Doubt song "Rock Steady," and "Spiderweb."

In the parade of up-and-comers and rock veterans, crisscrossing the country, No Doubt stands out as being of its time. Not on the way up, not on the way down, Stefani and Co. are confidently surfing the crest.

"Rock Steady" suits this crew just fine.