POP REVIEW : PLAIN CLOTHES, FANCY MUSIC FROM DIRE STRAITS

Nobody ever claimed that rock ‘n’ roll is logical. Take Dire Straits: Who would ever have guessed that the English band, which is about as ordinary- looking as rock groups come, would achieve its big commercial breakthrough with a music video?

The seven-man band’s concert Sunday night at the Pacific Amphitheatre, part of its first U.S. tour in five years, did little to dispel the notion that this is a band that is best experienced with one’s eyes closed.

Fronted by lead singer-guitarist-songwriter Mark Knopfler, who was dressed in a Western-style shirt and blue denims so faded that they looked like Bruce Springsteen’s hand-me-downs, the group offered none of the flash that is associated with the most exciting pop acts.

There was no trace of Springsteen’s long and colorful stories between songs, Prince’s ambitiously metaphysical stage theatrics or Michael Jackson’s dynamic dance productions.

Musically, however, Dire Straits has few peers. So much emphasis in rock has been placed on lyrics (particularly after Bob Dylan came along) that bands such as Dire Straits, whose chief strength is its music, are generally underrated.

Yet, Knopfler’s inspired melodies proved to be every bit as emotionally communicative as a good lyric, perhaps even more so.

Although many in the crowd of more than 12,000 undoubtedly were drawn to the band by the current “Money for Nothing� single/video and the “Brothers in Arms� album, Knopfler has crafted a wealth of material since the group bolted onto the charts in 1979 with the marvelously infectious “Sultans of Swing.�

In an exquisitely paced two-hour show, the group tailored tempos and dynamics to create a full spectrum of moods, both within individual songs and in moving from one number to the next. For instance, the driving rock of “Expresso Love� was followed by the bluesy “One World,� which in turn segued with a hymn-like organ solo into the haunting “Romeo and Juliet,� a poignant song about love gone cold.

Having expanded the band’s lineup since it began as a quartet, Knopfler, who used nearly a dozen guitars over the course of the show, was flanked by guitarist Jack Sonni, woodwind player Chris White, bassist John Illsley, keyboardists Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher and drummer Terry Williams.

The added resources were employed skillfully for the most part, but on the upbeat “Walk of Life,� the band overreached in using some sweeping power chords more appropriate to the Who.

As rock guitarists go, Knopfler is in a class by himself, one of those rare players who understands the power of simplicity. Never resorting to two, three or 12 notes where one will do, Knopfler shares with B. B. King and only a handful of other guitarists the almost magical ability to find the right note and sound for each moment.

Lyrically, Knopfler doesn’t always match the beauty of his music, and lines like “There should be laughter after pain . . . sunshine after rain� from “Why Worry� would be hopelessly trite were it not for the disarming melodies and instrumental arrangements with which he salvages them.

One minor complaint: With five studio albums, one EP and Knopfler’s three movie sound tracks from which to draw, the band could add a some freshness to its set list by replacing a few of those songs already available on record in live versions.

Dire Straits, which also played San Diego State University’s Open Air Theatre on Saturday, is at the Greek Theatre through Wednesday.