By: Robert Cavuoto
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts soared into the 2014 Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning at Solberg Airport in New Jersey, on Sunday – July, 26th.
Dressed in a red sequined body suit, black Chuck Taylor high top sneakers and harnessed to her black Signature Series Gibson Melody Maker slung low, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer delivered a blistering set of old and new material under the summer sun.
Throughout her 18 song, 75 minute set, Joan flashed her baby doll sneering smile and winked at the crowd as she hammered out her classic MTV hits like “Reputation”, “Cherry Bomb” and “Do You Wanna Touch me?” and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”.
Some of her newer songs from her 2013 album, Unvarnished, were cranked out with the same punk spirit and vibe as her ’80s material. “TMI”, “Fragile”, and Reality Mentality” rocked hard in inimitable Joan Jett style.
And the crowd loved it!
Joan and her Blackhearts kept things upbeat and at fevered pitch with Joan’s trademark fast-driven powerful riffs. Her rasp of a voice, laced with teen angst, growls and grips the crowd, as she banters with the sweat-drenched crowd about the first song she’d ever written for The Runaways, “You Drive Me Wild”.
Then, full speed ahead with Joan and the Blackhearts blasting away with their version of that ’76 Runaway’s song.
Jett’s music targets the heart of the late ’70s and early ’80s punk era. Her songs are crammed with the rebellion of youth, whiskey shots and sucker punches….lucky the crowd was just having fun and enjoying the show.
The Blackhearts are Acey Slade on bass, Thommy Price on drums, Dougie Needles on lead guitar and Kenny Laguna on keyboard – punk rock veterans all. Nothing like hot air balloons wafting up into the sky and the melodic frenzy of Joan’s songs thundering out into the crowd, to make for one very fine summer day.
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Joan Jett
