The Strong and the Short of Concert

IRVINE — Welcome to the true PopMart.

That’s one lasting impression from the “KIIS & Unite,” radio station KIIS-FM’s fifth annual benefit concert, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The six-hour extravaganza Sunday at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre featured the most eclectic lineup in recent memory, from Erykah Badu and Salt-N-Pepa to Bob Carlisle (“Butterfly Kisses”) and Jon Bon Jovi.

So it was a true sampling of a cross-section of mainstream pop music. The downside was that it felt as if the artists were on a conveyor belt. Most acts were on the stage for no longer than 15 minutes, few of them had live bands, and many attempts to pump genuine life into the crowd proved futile.

The stature of a group seemed to have little to do with how long it performed. Real McCoy, which has yet to make a significant mark beyond the dance world, did five songs, while Erykah Badu, one of the most commercially potent and critically acclaimed arrivals of the year, got two.

*

Any time basketball star Shaquille O’Neal can generate more excitement with a microphone in his hand than many of the other artists, and a teenage star from “Baywatch” in the crowd can set off a frenzy of screams and an autograph rush in the middle of Jon Bon Jovi’s set, then, Irvine, we have a problem.

The day’s first performers, including 3rd Party, Le Click, Katalina and Jocelyn Enriquez, represented the high-energy dance music world. Their beats are fun and they work great on a dance floor, but in the large amphitheater, and in taped format, they fell short. Maybe it would have been better to just to play SoulSonic Force’s “Planet Rock,” since it seemed as if every other beat was derivative of that groove.

Nu Flavor, an L.A. R&B; vocal quartet, might have made an impression, but its set was marred by numerous off-key vocals. The Philadelphia quartet AZ Yet showed the crowd what true harmony was about with an effective set that breezed through seductive hits such as “Last Night.” But it was a flawless rendition of “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” that stole the heart of every 15-year-old girl in the place.

*

Not that the boys had any reason to feel excluded. Badu and Salt-N-Pepa both gave sultry performances, in distinctly different ways.

Badu, a vision in yellow and turquoise, stood in the middle of the stage by herself, without dancers, backing singers or musicians--usually not a good sign for an R&B; performer. But Badu’s voice is so strong that her renditions of “On & On” and “Next Lifetime” proved captivating, even with taped backing.

*

Salt-N-Pepa’s short performance was just as memorable for its sly versions of “Push It” and “Shoop” as it was for the trio’s revealing outfits. The set demonstrated why they’re the only multiplatinum female rap group with nearly 10 successful years in the pop music game.

The rest of the night, with the exception of O’Neal’s taut performance of his radio hit “Strait Playin”’ and Carlisle’s heartfelt “Butterfly Kisses,” left little for the fans to get excited about.

People began to leave in droves as Bon Jovi front man Jon Bon Jovi began a solo set that went from bad to worse. It’s a good thing his longtime bandmate, guitarist Richie Sambora, emerged from the wings. As they ripped through their old hits “Living on a Prayer” and “Dead or Alive,” fans rushed toward the front of the stage and sang along, reliving memories.