Lea and I are just back from Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo at the VBC Concert Hall. This was one I pounced on right when it went on sale, so we’ve been holding the tickets for almost four months. Pat Benatar was one of my very first favorites, and as it turns out, this was the first time she’s played Huntsville.
The show began with a brief documentary on Pat’s and Neil’s music careers, including their 1982 marriage and its effects. Then, it’s into a straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll show, with guitar on stage right a la Cheap Trick. (I guess I remember that from MTV videos, now that I think about it.)
Neil occasionally plays piano, and the bassist and drummer get a couple of acoustic numbers off.
The 85-minute set was:
All Fired Up
We Live for Love
Invincible
Promises in the Dark
We Belong
Disconnected
Hell Is For Children
You Better Run
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Love Is a Battlefield
(Encore)
Shine
Everybody Lay Down
Heartbreaker
“Heartbreaker” was full of assorted noodling around—pieces of “Ring of Fire,” “Purple Haze,” and what-not, as well as a blistering solo from Neil.
The quality of the performance was generally excellent, with disciplined rhythm and reasonable fidelity to the nuances of the album versions of the songs.
Vocally, she had to cheat just a little on a few higher parts (most notably “Promises” right before the break), but there was no loss of showmanship whatsoever. All of the songs were played in the same keys in which they were originally recorded, which is important to me (and hardly a given anymore, particularly with older acts). Between having to sing a measure or two of alternate melody and kicking the entire song down, I strongly prefer the former. And there was a touch of recorded accompaniment, but not much. It was probably most noticeable on “Love Is a Battlefield,” which in addition to synths, needs it to add expected voice effects.
The set hits me as just a little light for a full-price headliner with no opener, though. I think ten more minutes, maybe?
There are a couple of would-have-been-nices missing. She won a Grammy for “Fire and Ice,” for example, and “Sex As a Weapon” was a Top 30 hit. But the big omission is “Shadows of the Night.” Featuring one of the first truly cinematic music videos, it was a huge song, with even more impact than its #13 peak on the Hot 100 would indicate. I would have called that a slam-dunk in any full-up Pat Benatar set. But, it is what it is.
In addition to being veteran rockers, Pat and Neil are an adorable married couple. She calls him Spyder, and he called her Patricia Mae at least once. The exchanged glances and pats are fun and genuine. And they carry the star’s burden well, realizing that this 1400th time they’re playing a hit might be the only time you ever hear it live and making it memorable.
This was not a transcendental live music experience for me, but it was very good—definitely worth the time and money spent. If Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are part of your musical mosaic as they are mine, then make the effort.
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