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Review: Del Mar, CA San Diego County Fair
by LL Richards
San Diego coastal zone dwellers suffer through June
Gloom all month long socked in by heavy marine layer,
day in and day out, just like the Pacific NW nine
months out of the year. Right on schedule, the skies
broke open on July 1. Add a slight coastal breeze and
the sweet smell of salty air, and life is good in this
laid-back Southern California beach town - especially,
if you have a ticket to take in a rare west coast
appearance by JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS at an
outdoors venue.
When I finally rolled into the Del Mar race track
stadium, the Jettheads had already taken up the front
rows, and thanks to some special friends who saved me
a seat, we were positioned front row, stage right.
Perfect. Originally billed with Melissa Etheridge and
Beth Hart as part of a "Women Rock Fest," I thought it
would be great fun to see how the different crowds
meshed, but then again, this seat would have cost over
$70 and require membership to the Etheridge fan club.
It all worked out for the best and with no sharing of
the bill, the BLACKHEARTS were able to push their
equipment close enough to the edge of the very wide
and tall stage so down in front we could see and feel
the energy coming from Thommy and his drum set.
Now, these special friends who traveled out from
Arizona, had a treat of a lifetime - a pass to go
backstage before the show and meet a true
rock-and-roll legend, Ms. JOAN JETT herself. Their
young daughter was also experiencing a "first" with
meeting Joan and seeing her in concert. What a
thrill! Joan was very nice and I enjoyed meeting her
and shaking her hand. As onstage, Joan doesn't shy
away from making eye contact nor does she hold any air
of snobbery that I could detect. I am not big on
asking for autographs and admittedly, feel a little
silly and too "fan-like" to ask but this was Joan
Jett! An icon and inspiration for young guitar players
like me growing up.
The RUNAWAYS were about the same age as me and
although I surely remember their music, it was the
tabloid photos and nasty comments in rock magazines
back then that pissed me off and inspired me to work
harder to learn my electric. Being from the Pacific
NW, Nancy Wilson was my idol, but there is nothing
better than playing an electric guitar - or so I
thought at the time. What I admire the most about Jett
and her former bandmates is the determination they had
to learn their instruments, enter into the hard rock
scene and hold their own. In the end, I found my
camaraderie in team sports instead and not forming my
own band back then, is one of my only true regrets in
life. To meet someone I respect so much was truly an
honor. Joan graciously posed for pictures and signed
some great photos taken by our talented photographer
friend, Denise Sowers. JJ seemed very excited about
the new album. (We are too Joan!) When our time was
up, we moved over to the table where Dougie was
sitting and he signed a few photos for us. Kenny
Laguna was also on hand and it was nice briefly
meeting him as well.
Back to our seats we went and not long afterwards, The
BLACKHEARTS took the stage. They opened with "Victim
of Circumstance" and from there dove right into
"Cherry Bomb" and I couldn't resist looking up to the
VIP seats and smile at seeing Cherie Currie (also in
attendance). That song will always remind me of
Cherie, but Joan's version really works well in her
set. Sounding clear and well-rehearsed, the band
rocked harder than ever on "Light of Day," "Do You
Wanna Touch" and "Bad Reputation." We were treated to
cuts off the new album, Naked, including the title
track, "Turn it Around," and "Right in the Middle,"
the latter co-written by Linda Perry. Of the three,
this song intrigued me most; it's a slight departure
from the typical Jett/Laguna style. The others sounded
great to me, classic '60s pop-rock numbers driven by
Joan's trademark punk guitar rhythm riffs. Now, I'm
looking forward to the new release even more and was
so bummed they didn't have the new CD for sale at the
merch table!
Some of these songs have been in the set for years,
including "Roadrunner," "Love is Pain" and the
brilliant remake of the Mary Tyler Moore theme, "Love
Is All Around." And then there's the raunchy,
"Fetish." Let's be real, only Jett can get away
rhyming "fast" and "ass" - Pain turns to pleasure
fast/Relax while I pound your ass - and the crowd just
sings happily along. My personal favorite has to be
the crowd sing-a-along cover of The Replacements'
"Androgynous." This song always puts a smile on my
face. Oh how I long for the 80s, just a wee bit.
Remember how fashion and hair was so much fun,
adventurous and colorful back then? During this song,
it really hit me how charmed this moment in time
really was - there was nowhere else I would rather be.
I think any good performer wants to take their
audience to another place and just entertain them for
an hour or two leaving all the cares of the world
behind. The BLACKHEARTS were champions of the cause on
this night in Del Mar.
The carefully chosen covers that Joan has worked into
her repertoire over the years, makes it easy to forget
they are not originals, for she makes them her own.
Timeless classics, mixed with her own songs, keeps the
spirit of straight-ahead, power chord pop melodies
laden with a great anthem hooks alive and rocking. The
encore came too soon, wrapping up with "Real, Wild
Child" and the perfect goodbye song, "Everyday
People." I have seen Joan and the band a few times
over the years and she sounded in top form this night.
Her voice was clearer and stronger than past shows, in
spite of the fact she was fighting a cold. Whatever
she is doing to take care of herself, it's working!
Rock on JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS and please come
back to San Diego soon!
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