No Doubt, Stefani a steadying force

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 9:32 a.m.

Thirty-three and recently married, Gwen Stefani may not be just a girl anymore. But according to recent reports, the No Doubt vocalist still rocks as hard as ever.

The latest leg of No Doubt's 2002 tour has drawn positive reviews for the past month. The modern rock band makes its second Las Vegas appearance of the year Sunday at 8 p.m. at Rain in the Desert at the Palms.

Stefani wed Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale in London on Sept. 14. No Doubt took the month of September off, then returned to the road in early October. The band is touring behind last year's "Rock Steady," its fifth studio album.

Opening for No Doubt will be the Distillers, a punk band featuring guitarist/vocalist Brody Armstrong, wife of Rancid's Tim Armstrong. Garbage, which has played with No Doubt on many of its recent dates, is not slated to appear at the Las Vegas show.

Who: No Doubt.

Where: Rain in the Desert at the Palms.

When: 8 p.m.

Tickets: Sold out.

Opening act: The Distillers.

Personnel: Gwen Stefani (vocals), Tom Dumont (guitar), Tony Kanal (bass), Adrian Young (drums).

Latest release: "Rock Steady" (2001, Interscope)

Album feedback: "They bash away at reggae and funk and New Wave party grooves with a light touch that was sorely missing on 2000's 'Return of Saturn.' (Rolling Stone, 4 stars); "The band ... keeps the music sharp and focused. Everyone seems to realize that without a little meat on the bone, Stefani's Kewpie-doll voice can be awfully grating." (Entertainment Weekly, B+).

What to expect: No Doubt's recent shows have featured a blend from their past four albums. Material from "Rock Steady" has been the focal point, but the band has also drawn heavily from 1995's breakthrough success "Tragic Kingdom" with hits such as "Don't Speak," "Spiderwebs" and "Just a Girl."

Recent setlist: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Oct. 24: "Hella Good," "Sunday Morning," "Ex-Girlfriend," "Underneath it All," "Don't Let Me Down," "Bathwater," "Magic's in the Makeup" (acoustic), "Running," "In My Head," "Total Hate," "Different People," "New," "Simple Kind of Life," "Just a Girl," "Hey Baby," "Don't Speak." Encore: "Rock Steady," "Spiderwebs."

Tour feedback: "(Stefani's) voice conveyed tenderness and vulnerability with personality and power, yet had enough of a growl to put teeth into the band's riot grrrl anthems." (MTV.com); "The band was having a ball on stage together. They once again looked like the appealing crew of Orange County neighborhood buddies who scored an MTV hit with 'Just a Girl' a decade ago." (Houston Chronicle.)

Previous Las Vegas appearances: Feb. 28, 1992 (Shark Club); April 2, 1992 (Shark Club); Jan. 23, 1994 (Huntridge); May 7, 1995 (Huntridge); March 10, 1996 (Aladdin); July 26, 1996 (The Joint); April 18, 1997 (Thomas & Mack); Oct. 2, 1999 (The Joint); July 31, 2000 (The Joint) Nov. 18, 2001 (Thomas & Mack); March 30, 2002 (The Joint).

Says Stefani: "We've gotten to be so many different kind of bands -- we were a garage band, then a ska band, then a punk band. We don't discriminate. We're not the cool band, and people who like us are not the cool people." (Rolling Stone, March 8, 2002).