|
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated.
Jett heats up her cool, rocking image
from: Chicago Tribune
JOAN JETT hasn't released a new album in five years, typically plays at remote suburban locations and county fairs, and in recent years has shunned the concert circuit in favor of Broadway performances and USO tours.
But as Patti Smith is to punk, Jett is to rock: a pioneer who broke a male-dominated industry's conventions. To generations of aspiring musicians, Jett was proof that a woman with a guitar could be dangerous. Just ask the former members of Bikini Kill and L7, who credit her as a primary inspiration behind the early '90s riot grrl movement, or better still, listen for Jett's influence in the latest music from Sleater-Kinney, The Paybacks or Peaches.
Taking a break from stumping for presidential candidate Howard Dean, Jett and her four-piece BLACKHEARTS performed a no-frills 90-minute set Saturday night in Aurora's Paramount Theatre--a location more commonly associated with family theater and soft crooning than rock. In front of a near-capacity crowd, Jett relished her underdog role, which was made even more challenging by technical problems and a tame audience.
Clad in tight black leather pants and sporting a smartly cropped hairstyle, Jett was the epitome of street-tough cool. With her slender physique, coy grin and feline stare, the 43-year-old looked as ageless and fit as David Bowie did on his recent stopover.
More importantly, the singer's husky vocals and trademark "oww!" exclamations were in top form. And although DOUGIE NEEDLES handled the guitar solos, Jett's understated three-chord rhythmic crunch demonstrated why she was one of only two women to crack Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists.
Throughout the evening, the BLACKHEARTS contended with several difficulties in a venue that, for all its good intentions, was ill-equipped for a rock concert. At one point, Jett had to stop and ask the theater staff to turn off air conditioning that was interfering with the band's equipment and ability to hear.
Insufficient amplification also may have accounted for the age-diverse crowd's genteel reaction. Despite prodding from Jett to do otherwise, most concertgoers remained frozen in their seats until three familiar hits preceded the encore.
But Jett didn't let frustration get in her way. Stumbling only on an overlong "Do You Wanna Touch Me," she uncorked several favorites, including a brisk "Roadrunner" and surprising "A Hundred Feet Away," the latter a perfect combination of punk rawness, glam-rock trashiness, and bubble gum-pop sweetness.
Not content to coast on nostalgia, Jett also took chances, swinging to The Replacements' "Androgynous" and unveiling songs so new that she read the lyrics off a stand. Of these, "Right In the Middle" fell flat, but the roaring "Turn It Around" and "It's Going to Take a Long Time" suggested the feisty punch present in her finest work.
Yet it was a rendition of Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People" that functioned as Jett's personal anthem, the tune's "my own beliefs are in my song" encapsulating her gutsy independence and feminine pride.
|
| |
This Week:
No shows scheduled this week.
Click on the LIVE DATES link for upcoming shows |
Item Of The Month:
|
