July 2009 News

JOAN JETT, who began her rock 'n' roll career in the early 1970s and is one of two women listed by Rolling Stone magazine as the Greatest Guitar Players of All Times, will headline a concert at Eufaula's Amphitheater on Saturday night.

The event will climax Eufaula's Whole Hawg Festival, which began 25 years ago as a small, local event and which has grown to draw thousands of visitors to the community, said Mayor Dean Smith.

This year's Whole Hawg event, with its smoked pork competition and free pork sandwiches, is expected to draw 3,000 to 5,000 people this year and that many or more are expected for the concert.

RALEIGH - See photos from the recent JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS concert in downtown Raleigh. So many people were trying to get to the concert, that the Raleigh Police Department had to block off the streets.

According to those trying to get into the free concert in Moore Square on Saturday, July 11th, they were told that the park had reached capacity and that they were not allowing any more people in. The park has held over 11,000 people at past concerts. In addition, the Raleigh Police Department closed off the downtown area, as traffic and crowd control became an issue due to the large number of people trying to watch JOAN JETT.

Audience members said that Jett put on a great show and the rocker shared an electric energy with the audience that lasted throughout the night. According to a local pub owner, Jett was kind enough to meet with a local chef who was a die-hard JOAN JETT fan before the show and took pictures with him backstage.

Other great bands on stage that day included Doors, Panyeto, Schooner, The Beast, Violet Victor and The Lovely Lovelies, The T's, and I Was Totally Destroying It.

The Orange County Fair is known for many things such as having the world's largest bull and horse, the man who will deep fry anything, pig racing, and of course my favorite, summer concerts. This year none other than the legendary JOAN JETT graced the OC Fair with her presence.

People of all ages and all stages of sobriety filled the Pacific Amphitheater at the Orange County Fair with one common motive: see JOAN JETT rock out.

As JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS took the stage in Costa Mesa, California, the crowd arose with a roar of excitement. Fast approaching 51 years old, Jett gave the performance of someone at least two decades younger, opening up with the fist-pumping "Bad Reputation."

The follow up was an energetic rendition of Jett's past band, the Runaway's, hit "Cherry Bomb."

Jett kept it short and sweet between songs, every once in a while gracefully acknowledging the audiences' cries of, "You rock" and "I want to dry hump you" (direct quote).

The show was a mix of hits from the RUNAWAYS, Jett's solo career and the BLACKHEARTS, along with a cover of the Staples Singers "Everyday People" that kept the crowd dancing all night.

Jett ended the set with her most famous anthem "I Love Rock n Roll," which left the crowd wondering 'what will they play for the encore?'

Unlike most concerts, the audience didn't have long to wait for the BLACKHEARTS encore. Not 10 minutes later, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS took the stage again for a sweet rendition of "Crimson and Clover." And really, with a performance like that, who could ask for more?

Sometimes looking cool means being hot. Literally. At least that was the mentality of the JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS fans milling around the Pacific Amphitheatre on the night of July 16. The sea of girls in jet black shag haircuts and liquid leggings were one thing, but 90-degree heat told me to leave my leather at home; and though I managed to don all black to make up for it, the diehards know it's never too hot for a leather jacket.

Even Jett herself stormed on stage in skinny black leather pants, a vinyl zip-front tank and Chuck Taylors. But really what would you expect from one of the most quintessential female rockers or her followers?

Though the start of the show was a bit tired, Jett wasted no time plowing right into "Bad Reputation." Jett herself was ageless from her 10-year-old boy of a figure to the sneer you can hear in her voice, and by mid-set she had settled into her element. By the encore we were having fun.

Ê The show was an even balance of hits: a few selections from the new album, SINNER; some favorites from her first band, The RUNAWAYS; and a heaping helping of fun covers for good measure. "I Love Rock-n-Roll" went over smoothly but a temperamental mic for the better part of "Crimson and Clover" was off-putting. A crackle and pop during the final chorus sent her voice booming over a collectively cheering crowd, just a bit too late.

Songs off SINNER manage to be relevant, like "Androgynous," which was both catchy and mature. The RUNAWAYS' songs hold up surprisingly well after all this time despite their three-chord-wonderdom and serve as a nod to the upcoming movie on the band, in which Kristen Stewart, of Twilight fame, will play the role of Jett.

Jett's talent is obvious and her expert handling of guitar solos can't go unnoted, but she isn't quite as charismatic as one might expect from a woman who co-founded one of the most infamous all-female rock bands in modern music history. Although she most certainly had her endearing moments, shaking her shag with both hands like a leather-clad Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club.

Charisma or not, it was fun just to be able to see such an iconic '80s figure on stage -- and still wearing black leather.

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS: Surely you've heard that Kristin Stewart of "Twilight" fame is playing the leading lady of hard-driving, clap-your-hands-in-the-air rock 'n roll in an upcoming film. That's big. But JOAN JETT is big. Every time we put on our faded Converse we think we are sooo Joanian, but really, we're not, so not, and never will be. She's at Pacific Amphitheatre at 8PM.

IDOL TOUR 2009: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Michael Sarver, and Scott MacIntyre join several other past "American Idol" contestants on stage at the annual live show. Hope you have your favorite, and hope they sing your very favorite tune. The tour's only been on the road for a couple of weeks, so you'll be one of the first to see the show. Well, first-ish. It's major. Staples Center, 7PM

THURSDAY NIGHT OUT LOUD! Loads of comedians, including Eric Zeis, Amir Kamyab, Andy Kozel, Rick Glassman, Chris D'Elia, and Max Amini are at the mic and making people laugh for a song. What's a song in this instance? Ten bucks. There's a buffet, bar, and gratis parking involved. All rolled into one. We like. 8:30PM at CAP Studios in Sherman Oaks; look into those tix ahead of time online.

Rock legend JOAN JETT recently visited Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY and took a tour of the facilities - as well as personally meeting some of the wonderful animals. From the Sanctuary Tails blog:

During her visit, Joan got to meet her namesake, the fabulous JOAN JETT pig (pictured above) and pitch in with farm tasks like moving the main cattle herd to a different pasture so they could enjoy grazing on new lush green grass, and feeding scratch mix out to flocks of super excited chickens. She also, of course, got to just hang out and play with all the animals, and I was thrilled to see how very comfortable she was with all of them - no matter how big or how small.

For some additional photos of Joan with her new animal friends, jump here.

Kristen Stewart continues to film scenes for The RUNAWAYS in Los Angeles and recently was joined by none other than JOAN JETT, the rocker Kristen is portraying, on the set. Thanks to Celebrity Gossip pics from the get together have hit the web.

Joan's presence makes her appear adamant about ensuring Kristen nails the role which can only be a good thing for the film. There is also a report floating around that Kristen is wearing a pair of Joan's 1970s shoes for good luck. Heck, I'm surprised they would even fit properly.

In addition to Kristen as JOAN JETT, The RUNAWAYS stars Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie, Scout Taylor-Compton as Lita Ford, Alia Shawkat as fictional Robin (aka Micki Steele), and Stella Meave as Sandy West.

Check out all five RUNAWAYS together in these pics, or head over to Celebrity Gossip and see a bunch more photos of Kristen and JOAN JETT collaborating on the set.

Rock legend JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS rocked the house at the San Diego County Fair on July 3. Jett opened with the upbeat "Bad Reputation."

The San Diego County Fair wrapped up the 22-day event with an all-time attendance record of 1,274,442 guests who enjoyed the "Music Mania" theme, attractions, shows, exhibits, food and rides. The previous attendance record was 1,265,997, set in 2007.

The largest one-day attendance during this year's fair was 88,087 on July 3. It ranked as the eighth-largest day in the fair's history. The largest single-day attendance ever was July 3, with 101,867.

Kim Fowley, left, meets with JOAN JETT in Woodland Hills, Calif.

KRISTEN STEWART is wearing an extra-special prop to help her capture the character of JOAN JETT in new movie THE RUNAWAYS - a pair of the rocker's own vintage sneakers.

Jett gave Stewart a pair of Converse boots she wore during the band's 1970s heyday, and sources say the young actress refuses to take them off. An insider tells America's Star magazine, "Joan thought wearing them would help with the movie's authenticity."

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS headlined the M&I Bank Classic Rock stage on June 30, as part of Milwaukee's Summerfest 2009, which runs through July 5.

The group performed for just over an hour to a packed crowd, who enthusiastically sang along to hits like "I Love Rock N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," "Do You Want To Touch me" and "Bad Reputation."

Jett, an accomplished singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer, has nine Top 40 singles under her belt, along with eight platinum and gold albums.

She has her own independent record label, BLACKHEART RECORDS, whose signed acts include The Dollyrots, Endless Bummer and Girl in a Coma.

Before JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, Jett had a solo career and also co-founded The RUNAWAYS, a popular female rock band in the 70's. She is the executive producer of an upcoming film about The RUNAWAYS, which will star actress Kristen Stewart as Jett.

Click here to view a slideshow from the performance.

Two-fifths of the RUNAWAYS are appearing at Summerfest this year -- Lita Ford performs this Friday night and JOAN JETT was there last night. She played three RUNAWAYS songs -- Cherry Bomb, I Love Playing With Fire and You Drive Me Wild -- no doubt because she has the band on her mind due to the biopic that's shooting right now. I am pretty sure Kristen Stewart was in attendance last night, doing some research for her role as Jett.

Jett played all of her hits as well as three or four tracks from her most recent album SINNER. The liveliest numbers were the RUNAWAYS songs and her cover of Sweet's ACDC probably because she hasn't played them 5000 times over the last 30 years. I would have liked to hear School Days which is My favorite RUNAWAYS-era Jett song but I am more than happy with the show as it was.

If Joan is casting about for an idea for a new album, I suggest a The Hit List, Vol. II with nothing but 70s Glam Rock songs -- even better an album of nothing but Mike Chapman/Nicky Chinn songs -- her version of Chapman/Chinn's ACDC is awesome. But she could do Bowie's Rebel Rebel and Diamond Dogs justice as well. How about the first all-female rock supergroup with Jett, Ford, Suzi Quatro, a Go-Go and a Bangle?

You know that raspy voice. You know that tiny figure, dressed in bad-girl black. You know that flawless face with the heavy eyeliner. You know that black hair. You know that big-guitar sound punching out the three-chord rock 'n' roll. Of course you know all that: JOAN JETT is an institution. And as with all institutions, it's easy to take Jett for granted. She hasn't had a major hit since "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" in 1981, and neither her look nor her sound has changed much since then Ñ give or take a song or haircut (or two).

It seems a new generation will be discovering Jett soon. Kristen Stewart, of the Twilight movies, will play Jett in a forthcoming movie about the RUNAWAYS, the all-female band Jett founded when she was just 15. (A documentary called Edgeplay: A Film about the RUNAWAYS came out in 2004. Jett has, in her characteristically polite and professional manner, denounced it.) The gossip blogs went nuts when Stewart was photographed sporting her version of Jett's famous mullet. The movie isn't set for release until next year, but already fashion magazine Nylon has hyped it by publishing an article about how to borrow Jett's look.

I hope that this next generation of fans will learn something else from Jett. She's built a career largely on her own terms, staying true to herself and her music in a way that few rockers have. She now has her own record label, Blackheart, and is helping give a boost to young bands like Girl in a Coma. An institution? Yes, and the best kind.

JOAN JETT: Del Mar Fairgrounds, Friday, July 3, 8 p.m. 858-755-1161.