Not only did Liz Phair use Avril Lavigne’s producers to help her record her

latest album, but she also has adopted the poppy/punk artist’s fashion style. But if her Monday night concert at University of Illinois’ Foellinger Auditorium was any indication, Phair, whose svelte figure was bathed in a sea of red and white lights onstage, still is not quite catching fire with younger fans.

The winding barren auditorium, where a dismal turnout of less than 350 people flocked to the hour plus show, demonstrated that while Phair obviously is attempting to transform her rock style into a more sophisticated pop, she’s just the next wannabe in line.

Phair needs to stick to her roots, which the Winnetka, Ill. native failed to do on her latest self-titled and critically-lambasted disc.

The 20-song set, which showcased a medley of songs off Phair’s four albums, including radio mainstream hit Why Can’t I, Extraordinary, Friend of Mine, Johnny Feelgood and H.W.C.

But although Phair’s guitar skills are clearly refined, the songs’ lyrics flowed out of Phair’s mouth with more than a hint of screechiness. Phair’s songs sounded choppy at times as she spewed out the obscenity laced F**k and Run, but glowed on songs like Extraordinary.

Her awkwardness toward the crowd was apparent from the get-go. Her guitar was essentially the buffer between her and the audience, and helped cushion her dialogue with the crowd.

In spite of the apparently Lavigne-inspired ensemble she wore, Phair certainly lacked the stage energy the young artist has become associated with. She also seems confused about what type of image she wants to project, at one point standing her guitar vertically and swinging her guitar side-to-side provocatively across her skimpy skirt while performing a solo.

It is clear Phair likes to play coy, and doesn’t like act her age, 36, nor does she look it. But the image Phair projects is one mixed-up one. Phair needs to find what works for her better musically, rather than drumming up a new image and adopting a new poppy music formula.

Rockers Wheat, a Boston-based band, kicked off the concert with a slew of cliche rock tunes. And while the band looks to have promise, it needs to formulate its own unique sound while diverting from its overeliance on the sound of guitars.