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Rocker JOAN JETT in good form on new album
from: clevescene.com
by Jeff Niesel
Her new material was thoughtfully introduced, but the classics got fans out of their seats.
Lovers of pure rock 'n' roll got a full dose of adrenaline when JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS returned to Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa on Thursday night. But though the latest local set from one of the godmothers of punk rock didn't disappoint, hand-picked opening act Girl in a Coma's lack of musicality put a damper on the evening.
The San Antonio band â€" comprising sisters Nina (lead vocals and guitar) and Phanie Diaz (drums) and longtime friend Jenn Alva on bass â€" signed to BLACKHEART RECORDS in 2006 after Jett and her longtime producer and manager KENNY LAGUNA saw the trio perform at the Knitting Factory in New York City. Since then, they have opened for the likes of Morrissey (whose Smiths song inspired their moniker), Social Distortion and Tegan and Sara.
Nina Diaz's powerful, smoky vocals were intriguing, but every word she sang or said was hard to understand, and much of Girl in a Coma's 40-minute, 10-song appearance blurred into a cacophonous mush. Their mediocre material and hair-shaking couldn't hold the audience's attention.
But shortly before 9 p.m. the BLACKHEARTS' band logo was raised and fans decked out in '80s attire perked up in anticipation. Jett and her group turned in a 75-minute set of 17 songs that naturally included hits from both her successful solo career and her brief but influential time in all-girl glam-rock outfit the RUNAWAYS. She also offered a handful of previews from her coming album Unvarnished, due out in October.
Backed by longtime drummer THOMMY PRICE and lead guitarist DOUGIE NEEDLES, Jett gave her all, exhibiting her own shredding ability during a few key solos. Her raspy voice and blood-curdling screams were surprisingly intact despite decades of touring around the world. But her body hasn't fared quite as well. She's always been thin, but at 54 the sight of her emaciated body in a black leather jacket and silver metallic jumpsuit was alarming.
"Make It Back," the first new tune played from Unvarnished, was inspired by Jett's first-hand experience weathering Hurricane Sandy at her Long Beach (N.Y.) home less than nine months ago.
"It was extremely intense," she said of the disaster. "It devastated these towns, and it gave me some perspective on what people go through when we talk about Katrina and the hurricanes that come pretty much regularly through Florida.
"People were so devastated in my town and all around," she continued. "What you saw was a lot of destruction and peoples' lives just destroyed. People were just so overcome. They were like, 'What are we going to do?' ... Then you see something change in that time and it becomes: 'You know what we are going to do? We are going to rebuild. That's what we are going to do!'"
Other cuts she spotlighted from the coming disc included "Soulmates to Strangers" (an ode to blind love), "Fragile" and "Hard to Grow Up." "There are certain things you have to take care of in life," she said before that last one. "Sometimes responsibility falls on you and you realize, 'I have to grow up, I have to take this responsibility.' So this song is kind of saying: 'Man it's hard to grow up.'"
Yet, although Jett's freshly-penned material featured memorable melodies and catchy hooks, the caliber of songwriting didn't compare to mega-hits like "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Bad Reputation."
She revisited her roots with "You Drive Me Wild," a song written for the Runways, whose members were based in L.A. and the South Bay.
"We did so many dates down here (in Southern California): house parties, clubs, clubs that don't exist anymore," she recalled before sharing how much Marc Bolan influenced her formative years. "I was a big T. Rex fan, so I started playing guitar and of course I would copy (them)."
As the night continued, so did Jett's wild stage antics. She jumped around, stuck her tongue out and tirelessly worked the crowd, venturing as far out as her guitar cable would allow. During "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," still her key anthem and biggest hit, the legendary rocker got everyone in the audience on their feet and chanting.
Other highlights: "Bad Reputation," another signature song; ramped-up audience participation for the holler of Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah)"; her cover of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover"; the RUNAWAYS' classic "Cherry Bomb"; and, to close the show, her redo of Sly & the Family Stone's "Everyday People," capped by dueling solos from Jett and Needles. The perfect ending to a kick-butt evening.
Set list: JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS at Pacific Amphitheatre
Main Set: Bad Reputation / Cherry Bomb / Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah) (Gary Glitter cover) / Make It Back / Soulmates to Strangers / You Drive Me Wild / Fragile / Love Is Pain / TMI / Hard to Grow Up / The French Song / I Love Rock 'n’ Roll (Arrows cover) / Crimson and Clover (Tommy James & the Shondells cover) / I Hate Myself For Loving You
Encore: Reality Mentality / AC/DC (The Sweet cover) / Everyday People (Sly & the Family Stone cover)
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