No Doubt hits it big in small confines

Spencer Patterson

Monday, June 28, 2004 | 8:08 a.m.

Vocalist Gwen Stefani took stock of her unusual surroundings midway through Sunday night's No Doubt show at Rain at the Palms.

"Last night we performed for 40,000 people, so tonight seems so little," Stefani said, scanning the sold-out Rain crowd of 1,500.

Just 24 hours earlier, the veteran alterna-rock quartet had played the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore, Calif. -- the nation's largest outdoor amphitheater -- as part of the band's tour with punksters Blink-182.

But on Sunday, No Doubt was on its own, performing a rare clubdate that was a late addition to its summer itinerary.

"We're not even supposed to be on tour today, and now we're in Vegas, the city of sin," Stefani said. "We wanted to come out and celebrate because you guys went out and bought the greatest hits (CD)."

No Doubt's tour comes on the heels of last November's best-of collection, "The Singles 1992-2002." The disc covers the period that saw the Southern Californians go from relatively unknown ska-punks to mainstream radio regulars.

Fittingly, the 17-year-old band -- Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young, supplemented by horn/keyboard players Stephen Bradley and Gabriel McNair -- loaded Sunday's gig with familiar numbers.

The set list featured all but one of the 15 tracks on "The Singles," including such chart-toppers as "Just a Girl," "Don't Speak" and "Underneath It All."

The delirious crowd -- which paid between $75 and $150 for the intimate experience -- joined Stefani on nearly every lyric, save for an unexpected cover of the Specials' "Racist Friend," which the band attempted for the first time ever onstage.

Fans bounced in unison to "Hella Good" and swayed their arms from side to side during "Spiderwebs," while those closest to the front screamed whenever Stefani approached.

"There's like eight people up here that I've seen like 4,000 times," Stefani joked. "They come to all our shows. Thank you! But doesn't it get boring?"

The band certainly didn't seem bored, maintaining a frenetic energy level through the 90-minute hits blitz.

Stefani, in particular, remained in constant motion. The 34-year-old singer chased Kanal around the stage, frolicked with a trio of lingerie-clad dancers and even performed a series of cartwheels, all the while showing off her famous washboard tummy.

The mohawked Young managed to one-up Stefani's showmanship, arriving onstage with his bottom totally bared and his nipples adorned with green glow-in-the-dark paint.

The drummer also led the way musically, combining with Kanal to provide a lavish backbeat, be it funky ("Hey Baby"), punky ("Excuse Me Mr.") or poppy ("It's My Life," the band's latest hit, a cover of a 1984 Talk Talk single).

At times, No Doubt sounded a bit out of its element. Stefani's vocals were intermittently hard to make out, and the band wasn't always as tight as one might have hoped.

Even so, the show was a success on two levels, providing fans a chance to hear all the band's biggest hits and No Doubt the opportunity to do it in the smallest of possible venues.