The San Diego Union-Tribune
May 30, 1990, Wednesday

O'Connor's unwanted stardom shines;
She's a pop sensation, and proved it at her concert last night

Karla Peterson; Staff Writer


   She won't want to hear this.  But Sinead O'Connor is a star, and there isn't
much she can do about it now.

   In one of the unlikeliest success stories of the year, this intense,
uncompromising Irish singer/songwriter has become a pop sensation.  Her version
of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" went to No. 1, carrying the album "I Do Not
Want What I Haven't Got" right along with it.  Her video for "Nothing ..." is in
heavy rotation on MTV, and her startling hazel eyes are currently staring out
from the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

   And last night at SDSU's Open Air Theatre, the woman who says she never
thinks of herself as a rock star gave a brisk, no-nonsense performance that
still made it clear that Sinead O'Connor is a talent to reckon with.  Sinead
O'Connor is ... a rock star.

   Following a soulful set by Britisher Hugh Harris, O'Connor opened with "Feel
So Different," a confessional ballad that was as breathtaking live as it is on
the new album.

   With its complicated vocals and revealing lyrics of love and loss, "Feel So
Different" is the kind of tour de force most performers would save for the end
of a show. But O'Connor isn't like most performers, and while her 75-minute
concert was admirably free of gimmickry, there were times when the show could
have used a dose of drama.

   While the last strains of "Feel So Different" quivered in the air, O'Connor
sauntered off stage, grabbed a guitar, and led her efficient (if somewhat
faceless) band into a slam-bang version of "The Emperor's New Clothes" that
brought the show back to earth with a resounding thump.

   Timing was a problem throughout the evening.  O'Connor turned up the heat
with the seductive "I Want Your (Hands On Me)," then turned thoughtful with
"Three Babies," an odd pairing that diminished the power of both tunes.  And
instead of letting the audience bask in the stunning version of "Nothing
Compares 2 U," she and the band launched right into the inconsequential "Jump in
the River."

   Sinead O'Connor doesn't want to be a star, and you can't blame her for not
wanting to act like one.  Fortunately, the same stubborn instincts that kept her
from milking her songs for all the emotion and applause they're worth (and
they're worth a lot) also made for some inspired performances.

   Highlights from the new album included a harsher version of the haunting
"Black Boys on Mopeds," and "The Last Days of Our Acquaintance," a song about
betrayal that O'Connor started in a shaky whisper and ended in a blazing ball of
fury. From her debut album, "The Lion and the Cobra," she chose the unsparing
"Jerusalem" and "Jackie," and -- saving the best for last -- an acoustic
rendition of "Troy," a shattering story of obsessive love that O'Connor
performed with grace and a surplus of honest emotion.

   In "The Emperor's New Clothes," O'Connor sings about the importance of
abiding by her own rules.  "I will have my own policies," she sings.  "I will
sleep with a clear conscience.  I will sleep in peace." And if last night's
no-frills show was any indication, O'Connor should be able to do just that.

   Or maybe not.  Because no matter how hard she tries to disguise it, Sinead
O'Connor is a star.  She can smile shyly.  She can shuffle her feet and look
surprised at the response.  But when she opens her mouth, that amazing voice
comes out.  And when she that voice comes out, whether it is singing a No. 1 hit
or a traditional Irish ballad, people listen.

   And that makes Sinead O'Connor a star, and we're lucky to have her.