POP MUSIC REVIEW : ‘Technical Problems’ Thwart Luis Miguel at Amphitheatre

In one of the worst moments of his career, Latin superstar Luis Miguel stood still in the middle of the stage at the Universal Amphitheatre on Wednesday, looked to his musicians and asked himself what the heck was going on.

Right in the middle of his big hit “El dia que me quieras” (“The Day That You’ll Love Me”), a bolero version of a great Carlos Gardel tango classic, the near-perfect concert was abruptly interrupted when the sound went off.

The singer, visibly upset, apologized to the audience, explaining that he had “experienced some technical problems.” He went on to the next song with the sound restored and the supportive audience on its feet.

For a perfectionist like Luis Miguel, this was an unusual and embarrassing moment. Maybe that was the reason the show, the first of four at the Amphitheatre, was cut short--not enough boleros , not enough rancheras, and only a little more than 90 minutes of music, with no encore (he usually sings for more than two hours).

By Luis Miguel’s standards, this was a show he would like to forget quickly, though it was clear that the Mexico City-based artist and his nine-piece band are still light-years ahead of their competitors.

The affair ended up as mostly a powerful showcase of his funky and straight-ahead romantic sides--including a videotaped duet with Frank Sinatra shown on two big screens--after three years of developing the bolero , by far his most interesting ingredient.

* Luis Miguel performs tonight and Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 8:15 p.m. $50 and $55. (818) 980-9421.