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JOAN JETT, Starship, Christen New Sanford PREMIER Center Wednesday Night!
from: b1027.com
Article and Photo by Crash B102.7
I admit it. I've been waiting for last night for over 15 years. The first show in a brand new events center in Sioux Falls. And Wednesday night I spent the better part of three hours with a big grin on my face that was there as much for the new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center as for JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas. The venue is beautiful, the sound was great (of course as an old rock guy, it could have been a little louder, but I suppose they didn't want to blow away the 4688 of us that turned out to reminisce) and the new seats were comfortable (for the little bit of time I actually spent sitting in them!)
The show started right on time with a great, albeit too brief, set from Starship. Mickey Thomas still sounds fantastic at 64 as the band ran through hits like 'Jane', 'Sara' and 'We Built This City'.
I had seen Thomas on a Christmas show with Eddie Money and Lou Gramm a couple of years ago at Grand Falls Casino, so I knew he can still entertain and hit those amazing notes. And it was a nice surprise to hear them include a song that Thomas sang on and had a hit with Elvin Bishop back in the 70s on 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love'! What I wasn't expecting though was Stephanie Calvert. The diminutive powerhouse Starship vocalist who is tasked with filling the legend Grace Slick's shoes (and microphone) She sounded fantastic, especially when taking the lead on the Jefferson Airplane classics 'White Rabbit' and 'Somebody To Love'.
After a short stage changeover, it was time for one of the first ladies of rock to take the stage. I've been a fan of JOAN JETT since she formed The RUNAWAYS back in the 1970s when she was just 17 (and of course the band included her famous ex-bandmate Lita Ford) and last night was the fourth time I've seen her perform. I've enjoyed every one of the shows.
I like to refer to Jett as 'fun size' as she is absolutely tiny in person, but her voice and her persona are larger than life. She had plenty of smiles for the appreciative crowd, talked about being honored to be the first band to headline the new building in Sioux Falls, and ran through a set filled with her biggest hits and several songs from the band's latest release 'Unvarnished' that came out in 2013.
While the crowd appreciated the new songs, it was obviously the classics that wound the crowd into a frenzy like 'Do You Wanna Touch', 'I Hate Myself For Loving You' and of course 'I Love Rock & Roll'.
Jett even hung around on stage for a few minutes after the set was over to sign a few autographs for fans that were standing along the rail in front. A very cool gesture from someone who doesn't need to do that, but continues to make her fans feel special. We had the opportunity to do the meet & greet with her and she took those few extra seconds with everyone in line for a hug and to make it 'personal'. Again, just that little something extra that leaves an impression on fans.
It was a fun night for classic rock fans to get in and enjoy the new events center and a great opportunity for the staff to have a 'practice' night before the sold out show from country music's Jason Aldean next weekend. Was it a completely smooth operation last night? No. But I wouldn't expect it to be. I talked to several key staff members last night and they were on top of things they could fix immediately and taking notes for their wrap up to fix a couple of other minor issues. The bottom line is it was a GREAT opening night by all accounts. Something we all know is that you're never going to make everyone happy all the time. But there were an awful lot of really happy people at the show last night and happy people on social media, so I'm going to chalk up the show last night as a 'win' for us all.
I'm really excited for the future of entertainment in Sioux Falls again. It was something that has needed to happen for a very long time and the staff in place is committed to bringing top notch entertainment to Sioux Falls. Stay tuned. People are already buzzing about the new facility and I've got a feeling that 2015 may be a year that will really leave a mark. |
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