Article

THERE'S NO DOUBT GWEN'S A STAR

Gwen Stefani had a commanding stage presence Tuesday night when she performed with her band, No Doubt. Fans of all ages screamed, cheered and threw various items on stage as Stefani strutted back and forth while singing favorites from the band's collection of hits.

There's No Doubt Gwen's a star
Stefani ruled as band rocked amphitheater

Gwen Stefani, a rock star if there ever was one, and her band, No Doubt, showed up at the Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre and gave fans a performance that was both electric and memorable.

And why is Stefani referred to as "rock star"? For the simple reason that she is, and anyone who saw her galavant across the stage Tuesday night in all her pink glory ought to recognize that talent and beauty and passion like this are only found in precious quantities and select places, and one of those places is right in front of this ska-inspired act.

There has been much made of the concern that the supporting players of No Doubt - bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and drummer Adrian Young - don't get their due as the fine and important musicians they are. And you will get no argument here - these fellows are certainly intregal pieces to the No Doubt puzzle. But make no mistakes, Gwen Stefani - not unlike the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, or Stefani's now-steady boyfriend, Gavin Rossdale of Bush - is the juice behind the continuing success of this group. She is the real thing.

From the moment that No Doubt first took stage, after competent and entertaining sets from warm-up bands Black-Eyed Peas and Lit, there was little question - or doubt - as to who was the star of this show.

Please understand that the reviewer knows good and well that he is gushing here ... but for good reason, and he can't help himself. This is a woman who took over the amphitheater stage and absolutely wouldn't let go for nearly two hours.

Not that her fans would let her let go. They came from far and wide - from Yuba and nearby counties, as well as from the Bay Area and Southern California ( No Doubt's home base) - in loyal hordes to cheer on and sing and dance with this woman and this band. "Gwen is so cool on stage," said Alicia Stahl of Roseville. "She is the perfect rock star." And Darcie Ranallo of Eldorado Hills agrees. "Gwen is the best female role model ! She's got power, attitude, self-esteem, and she knows how to handle herself." It was hard - in fact, impossible - to find a dissenting voice in this crowd of 6,500. And for good reason. As the strains of the piped-in introduction, fittingly borrowed from the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," stirred across the royal venue, Stefani sashayed onto the stage and broke into the band's bitter yet frantic "Ex-Girlfriend," from their current album, "Return to Saturn." At that moment, fans erupted in a hopping melee of agreement for the song's lyrics and glee for its energy and beat.

And this idolatry never stopped throughout the band's 16-song show, as fans continuously flung objects of their affection onto the stage - flowers, stuffed animals, a bridal veil that the singer coyly donned for the final chords of the hopeful yet haunting "Simple Kind of Life." Fans chanted their adoration for Stefani - "We love you, Gwen," over and over and over again - and fell obediently into step any time the singer/songwriter required any work from the audience. "Hey all you girls, say 'Excuse me, Mister," said Stefani, just before the majority-female crowd unabashedly echoed her sentiments to the attentive male attendees.

But Stefani earned every high cheer and ear she got throughout the show. She made certain early on that the audience understood that No Doubt was only two weeks away from the end of this very long tour in support of the "Return to Saturn" album, at the same time expressing gratitude to the Sacramento Valley fans for being such a integral part of the band's success. "We don't do this just to entertain ourselves," said Stefani. "We do this to entertain you." As she wound up this minimonologue before her band launched into the manic "Different People," she said to the young crowd. "... so let's see you jump." This is a fairly boisterous bunch, with Dumont attired in a blue muscle shirt and high-cut '70s-style running shorts, Kanal dressed in pink shirt and black nylon pants, and Young - thankfully behind his drum kit for most of the evening, but almost embarrassingly at center stage a couple of times - wearing little more than "Goth" makeup, running shoes, and fishnet underpants.

Gwen Stefani is beyond criticism, at least with this performance. Even at the end of the night as all of the supporting players - Stefani's bandmates and the Black Eyed Peas and Lit crews - flooded the stage to sing and dance and spread infectious good cheer to the resounding beat of No Doubt's final encore song, "Spiderwebs," it was Stefani who stood out.

Almost all attention - and deservedly so - was focused on the divine Gwen Stefani, who was stunning in pink on this night, and whose inestimable abilities and radiant charisma bode well for a bright future for a long, long time to come.