POP MUSIC REVIEW : Minnelli Kicks Into High Gear in Pasadena

In the opening few numbers of Liza Minnelli’s program at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Friday, her singing suggested the uncertain tensions of a rookie at his first Super Bowl game.

Sounding a bit strident in her upper notes, missing a pitch here and there, she was all glamour and legs and vitality without much musical substance.

But Minnelli is too much of a trouper to tolerate anything less than performance perfection for very long.

After laboring her way through an unfortunate medley of “Lover Man” and “The Man I Love,” she finally found her way with “I Live Alone and I Like It” and “Some People”--the kind of all-encompassing, theatrically expressive songs she does best.

The veteran artist was even more impressive with a moving reading of Charles Aznavour’s “What Makes a Man a Man,” a rousing, energetic set of Kander and Ebb tunes and the inevitable “New York, New York.”

If there was a problem, it was one of overabundance. Minnelli, as always, worked so hard at creating high-voltage entertainment that one wished for a few quieter moments--reflective opportunities to experience the vulnerability as well as the vivacity of this gifted performer.

Singer-pianist Billy Strich opened for Minnelli and sang several duet numbers with her, as well. At his best--”No Moon at All” and an up-tempo “Mountain Greenery” were good examples--Strich’s singing suggested the charm and skill of a young Mel Torme.