POP MUSIC REVIEW : A Rollicking Set From the Neville Bros.

It wasn’t the ghost of Christmas just passed but rather the spirit of Mardi Gras that possessed the Neville Brothers on Saturday at the Wiltern Theatre: a rollicking if occasionally pat synthesis of New Orleans-style polyrhythms and more pasteurized pop-rock.

The specter of some of the most wretched hits of the ‘70s also made several appearances. In what can only have been a holiday-time act of charity, the brothers rehabilitated a handful of that decade’s most noxious tunes into crowd-pleasing favorites. Skylark’s “Wildflower” and Steve Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” especially sounded good, the former thanks to Aaron Neville’s tender interpretation.

But although Aaron’s distinctive tremolo provided the show’s most familiar moments, percussionist Cyril played frontman most of the time and Charles cut a mean figure on the saxophone, it was Art Neville who supplied the evening’s highlights. His funky keyboard playing, which once fueled the fabled Meters, particularly stood out on a brief tribute to the Crescent City’s legendary Professor Longhair.

Seeing Arizona’s great, garage-poppy Gin Blossoms open for the Nevilles is like eating a sloppy cheeseburger at Patina: not quite as satisfying as you know it should be because of the inimical setting.