Ashlee Simpson wants to be a punk rocker so badly.

The proof? This pop princess co-opted the anarchy symbol for her "Autobiography Live!" tour tees and glow sticks. She also posed for promo shots in front of a gritty, graffiti-laden wall, leaning against a guitar fans have never seen Simpson play.

The pop star headlined the Paramount Theatre on Tuesday. And Simpson did sing - if you consider her raspy, giggly delivery to be singing.

She went out of her way Tuesday to prove she took the stage sans vocal tracks by altering the tone of her lyrics from the recorded versions during "Nothing New" and "Pieces of Me."

Simpson's singing is far from perfect, but that mattered little Tuesday since her chop-happy rock band often overpowered her vocals.

But don't knock Simpson for mediocre singing skills. Many a rock queen, including those she pays tribute to in the media and onstage, have built respectable careers on questionable vocal abilities. This "Seventh Heaven" alumnus can bank every ounce of commercial success - shrieking preteens in homemade "Ashlee" garb spilled into the aisles during the Denver show - on her appetite for edgy, progressive rock.

Just one thing: The MTV-engineered star might think twice before doling out any more gushing accolades for her pop-savvy parental management team: Any music talent she brought to the table seems to have been filtered through their pearly pink, product-placement marketing machine.

Come on folks: The anarchy symbol? Could you have chosen a more sacred counterculture totem to commercialize than that?

The upshot of Simpson's dubious packaging is that she was bound to draw ire from critics long before her "Saturday Night Live" mishap.

What Simpson and her parents don't seem to realize is that the unending scrutiny the singer has endured during the past year probably helped procure the kind of anti-establishment edge she needs to cultivate that indie rock sound she's chasing with such vigor.

Regardless of the bad press, Simpson's adolescent fan base grows more loyal with every public mistake and romantic foible. The intense, squealing jubilation exhibited by her baby-faced followers on Tuesday, and the amount of joy Simpson seemed to garner from them, was a highlight of the show.

This is a woman who could have done great things in a high school garage band. That might have enabled her to perfect (and personalize) her Mick Jagger stage swagger. She could have even learned to play a note or two.

Since that never happened, look past the singer's darling, TV-devouring fans, and it becomes clear this pop star lacks the life experience to fuel her punk. Nor can she successfully pull off the ambitious, space-filling Courtney Love and Chrissie Hynde covers she unfurled during her 65-minute Denver set.