Reviews

New frontman fits so well, you'd think he was always with the band

11:32 AM CDT on Friday, June 30, 2006

By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News

GRAND PRAIRIE – J.D. Fortune didn't need to warm up, nor did his INXS bandmates. From the first propulsive notes of "Suicide Blonde," which opened the show, the Australian-Canadian group operated with all cylinders firing in rock-charged synch. Each of the 3,700 fans Thursday night at Nokia Theatre didn't know what hit them.

For the following hour and 40 minutes INXS, led by young and lean lead singer Mr. Fortune, would recapture its glory days when the late Michael Hutchence helped catapult the sextet to worldwide success. It was the final show of the North American tour promoting Switch, INXS' first studio album since 1997 and its inaugural recording with Mr. Fortune.

And man, they rocked like their lives depended on it. Right off the bat let's say that it's unbelievable Mr. Fortune joined the ensemble after winning a television reality show, Rock Star: INXS.

This guy's no American Idol ingénue. He commanded the stage like he's been doing this as long as, say, Mick Jagger. He's got swagger, personality, vocal chops, attitude, abandon and just enough ants in his pants to keep him moving.

Plus, he's no Michael Hutchence imitator. Unlike Todd Rundgren, who's trying to sound like Ric Ocasek as he performs with the now-dubbed New Cars, Mr. Fortune's his own man. You can hear traces of Mr. Hutchence's sexy tone in his pipes, but he's not striving for that effect.

He's a natural. Interspersing material from Switch with staples from the band's 20-year recording career was ingenious. Segues were seamless. It was as if Mr. Fortune always sang all of these tunes.

Of the newer cuts, "Devil's Party" was one sexy dance-rocker while "Afterglow" combined U2 balladry with INXS drama. "Original Sin" sounded fresh again while "Need You Tonight" and the funk-fortified "What You Need" sizzled in that signature below-the-belt ambiance. Also, what a treat to hear "Don't Change," which took us back to INXS' early new wave era.

Yet the stage antics were nearly as entertaining as the performance. Drummer Jon Farriss threw a watermelon onto the platform floor, where it shattered. Then Mr. Fortune tossed a piece of the fruit into the crowd. A couple of roadies had to mosey with a dumpster and collect the remains.

In honor of the final date on their trek, Mr. Fortune served champagne in plastic cups to some of the folks at the foot of the stage. By concert's end, he was casually smoking a joint, completely unfazed by any legal consequences. Midshow, during "Taste It," he suggestively caressed the microphone stand. He was fearless.

The total opposite needs to be said about opening act Scott Stapp, the former lead singer of Creed now struggling to maintain a solo career. He and his band's 45 minutes before the crowd were just short of awful. First off, the Creed bombast has had its day. That repertoire sounded tired and tepid. And anything he played from his solo CD, The Great Divide, came off like rehashed Creed minus the big hooks.

But surely he's fooling himself. Before launching into his final song, the melodramatic scream-fest "Justified," he ranted against Dallas radio, saying he did so many favors to get his former band on the airwaves and now his solo songs won't get played. Note to Mr. Stapp: You're passé. It's over.

E-mail mtarradell@dallasnews.com