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"We're Having A Blast"
from: Vindy.com
by John Benson
What in the wild, weird world of the Vans Warped Tour is going on?
Joan "I Love Rock N' Roll" Jett is spending her summer in the camp counselor role for the 11th annual Vans Warped Tour, which pulls into Cleveland for a show Aug. 11 at the Tower City Amphitheater. While in theory some purists may cry foul, noting she's a classic rock, um, rocker from the '70s and '80s, upon closer review, her energetic and in-your-face style is carved from the same ethos as punk rock.
"Just knowing what it is in theory, a punk rock music festival, I was totally into it," said Jett, calling from New York City. "It's like a rolling block party, a traveling punk rock circus."
Considering Jett, 45, is old enough to be the mother of many of her Vans Warped peers, such as Rise Against, Thursday, The Academy is ... and dozens more, one would assume there would be some trepidation on her part.
"You just have to throw yourself into it and we're having a blast," said Jett, who still travels with her backing band The BLACKHEARTS. "The camaraderie has been great. There are always people and bands watching us, so it's a good feeling."
She added, "Everyone was very accepting, so it wasn't like this wall, which you had to break down. Everybody was like, 'Yeah, come on in to our family.' It's a great vibe."
Looking back
In fact, Jett's earlier days were spent fronting the mid-'70s all-girl band The RUNAWAYS, which also included Lita Ford.
While the act was considered at the time a hard-rock outfit, in reality its youthful energy had more of a punk rock aesthetic. Jett would go on to score solo success with her 1981 sophomore album "I Love Rock N' Roll."
The title track went to No. 1 on the charts, as did a cover of Tommy James & The Shondells' "Crimson and Clover."
Her last foray on the charts came in the late '80s with "I Hate Myself for Loving You;" however, by the '90s she was hailed as an influence of the riot grrrl punk movement. While some may perceive the Vans Warped gig as a comeback of sorts for Jett, you better not say it to her face or you're likely to get a punch in the snout.
"I never went away," Jett said. "I've been out and about on tour every year."
The Philadelphia native speaks the truth, but her appeal was limited to package tours — which she turned down — and family-friendly shows that beckon for trips down memory lane while baby boomers kick back a few cold ones and check their Blackberries for text messages from the baby sitter. Case in point was Jett's appearance at the 2001 Taste of Cleveland and 2004's Rib Cook-Off events.
Still, Jett is celebrating the release of "SINNER," her first studio record in more than a decade, and hopes for future success. What remains to be seen is whether there's still plenty of love for JOAN JETT in the new millennium?
"I hope so, but I don't like to say yes," Jett said. "That doesn't sound very humble at all. But certainly Ohio has been really great for us, way back to the RUNAWAYS days. Ohio has embraced us really nicely. And it's a great rock 'n' roll area in general. Cleveland rocks, right? I can't wait to get there."
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