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Jett rides the nostalgia train into Pride Fest
from: onmilwaukee.com
by Molly Snyder Edler, OMC Staff Writer
Despite the black leather, swearing, drunken sing-a-longs, raunchy lyrics and all-around sassiness, there really weren't any surprises from JOAN JETT, who closed Pride Fest on Sunday night for a sparse but passionate crowd. At least from a distance, Jett looked and sounded much like the rocker I remember from two decades ago. (Might I add the 49-year-old looked phenomenal with a body that most 25-year-olds would die for. I'm signing up for Pilates immediately.)
Jett released a 15-song CD last year called "SINNER," and during Sunday night's show she belted out almost as many tracks from more-recent efforts as she did classic material. Interestingly, fans seemed responsive to her newer stuff, especially the song "AC/DC," but nothing compared to the explosive reactions during "Crimson and Clover," "Bad Reputation," "I Hate Myself for Loving You," "Cherry Bomb," "Do You Wanna Touch Me," and, of course, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll."
The highpoint of the show, however, was her rendition of "Love Is All Around," the theme song from the "Mary Tyler Moore" show. Personally, I still prefer Husker Du's cover of this tune, but it's always a treat to hear this song live. After all, who doesn't respond positively to the lyrics "You're gonna make it after all?"
The new tune "Change the World" was another great moment in the show, proving that, for the most part, Jett still has it. That said, some of her more-recent tracks have down-right laughable lyrics, like in the song Fetish that features the lines, "Pain turns to pleasure fast/Relax, while I pound your ass."
Jett's voice sounded as strong and raspy as ever, although the BLACKHEARTS -- featuring a couple of new "cute boy" additions -- were nothing special. But since it's all about Joan anyway, by not wowing us with fancy finger work, they kept us focused on the lady in black.
Over the years, Jett's produced scores of bands, from 80s-era punk rockers the Germs to 90s riot grrls Bikini Kill to recent garage-punkers the Eyeliners and the Vacancies. She's collaborated with everyone from the Sex Pistols to Peaches; starred in numerous films and television shows; appeared on Broadway in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show;" and just recently became a radio DJ on Sirius Satellite Radio's Little Steven's Underground Garage Network.
Yep, she's pretty much done it all -- both on the stage and in the sack. Although Jett does not openly discuss her sexual orientation, much of her material suggests she is -- or has been -- a lesbian. This makes her the natural choice to play Pride Fest, but some of her new material (the song "Androgynous," for instance) seems corny and contrived; like she's trying too hard to appeal to LGBT listeners.
And even though she's loved as a rockin' party girl with a potty mouth, Jett is equally as good -- if not better -- when she expresses the softer side of her sexuality. Sure, die-hard fans love the bad-ass feminist icon rocker, but it would be nice to see a little more of her vulnerable side since we know she's so good at it, proven in the tune "Crimson & Clover." If nothing else, it would show she's evolved into someone deeper over the past 30 years.
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