''Have you ever heard such a ridiculous song in your life?" Stefani asked midway through ''Serious," and the answer was no, we hadn't. But it was very good and very smart of her to ask. Quality chord changes were hardly the point as pop's favorite platinum sprite careened through every cheesy, exuberant, nouveau-old-school song from her 2004 solo debut plus a pair of lustrous new ones that promise more of the same on a forthcoming sophomore effort -- and would seem to preclude a No Doubt reunion any time soon.
Backed by a crack five-piece band that included David Bowie's phenomenal touring bassist, Gail Ann Dorsey, Stefani was less a preening dance diva than the eccentric centerpiece in a multimedia tableaux. The first song was ''Harajuku Girls," and the Harajuku girls shadowed, fawned, and danced in the singer's orbit. Stefani even named them: Love, Angel, Music, Baby, which is the name of her album, which shortens to L.A.M.B., the name of her clothing line. Packaging, we were reminded, is everything.
By song two, ''What You Waiting For?," Stefani's command was unassailable -- occasionally shrill, but fearless and inspiring nonetheless. Pogo-ing in pumps and a naughty Louis XIV ensemble is not for the faint-hearted. Neither is a full-scale diva-licious arena show when you're an artist who has no dance skills and limited vocal gifts. But what Stefani lacks in typical talents she more than makes up in musical energy and original style, which explains how she was able to charm an entire arena while out of tune and out of breath in a retro polka-dot swimsuit during ''Real Thing."
A pageant of zebra-stripe warm-up suits (''Crash"), glam pirate hot pants (''Rich Girl"), flowing sequins (''Cool"), and majorette get-up (''Hollaback Girl," with the entire band playing marching drums center stage) followed -- all cheeky and shallow and thoroughly entertaining, sonically and visually. Stefani introduced one serious note into the festivities, dedicating ''Long Way to Go" to the late Rosa Parks. Topical and danceable are not, it turns out, mutually exclusive.
Opening act Black Eyed Peas continues its evolution from socially conscious hip-hop unit to pop icons. Monday night the group's set of energetic, accessible crossover tunes split the difference: Positive messages and break dancing went toe to toe with inane sing-alongs (''Let's Get Retarded"), amplified table banging Blue Man Group-style, and the unfortunate new song ''My Humps," which catapulted the talented singer Fergie back to the Dark Ages.
Joan Anderman can be reached at anderman@globe.com
