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Pat Benatar Fan Club 2008 Summer Concert Reviews |
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June 26 Niagara Falls, Ontario Fallsview Casino Fan review by Steve McKay My wife and I were fortunate enough to attend Pat and Neil's Thursday night concert at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario. As anticipated, Pat and Neil took the stage as scheduled at 8:30pm precisely, with Pat dressed in black pin-striped pants, black top and black jacket and Neil dressed in a two-piece black suit with a white tee shirt underneath. What better song to open their "All Fired Up" tour than with their high-powered anthem of the same name? The next song took me by surprise as they broke into the original electric version of "We Live For Love". Over the years, this song has become one of the staples of their acoustic set, but Pat still showed her remarkable vocal talents in reaching the high notes, sounding at times like a nightingale. After this, Chris broke into a heavy drumbeat for the beginning of "Shadows of the Night", but Neil seemed to be playing the riffs to another song. Pat stopped the music and apologized to the audience, saying that this was a new tour and they still had to work out some glitches. She then asked Neil if he wanted them to start again, but he seemed to have no difficulty in picking up where they left off. After "Shadows", Pat introduced "Invincible" as being from the soundtrack of one of the worst movies ever made (The Legend of Billie Jean). Pat sang with the passion and conviction that usually accompany this song and Mick played a brief bass solo, which he made look effortless. Before the next song, Neil was caught standing at the microphone instead of being at the keyboards, but made a mad dash to correct himself in time to play the introduction to "Painted Desert", after which Pat told the audience to "Get close to their loved ones," during the next song, which was "River of Love" from the Innamorata album. Their brief acoustic set opened by Neil talking about their February appearance on The Young and the Restless, and they proceeded to play the number they performed on the show, which was "Every Time I Fall Back". Towards the end of this number, Pat and Neil alternated singing the lines, which I thought was very effective. Neil then moved back to the keyboards to play a newly written intro to "We Belong". The crowd responded with cheers once the familiar strains were recognized. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" seemed to stir the crowd, particularly when Pat held out the microphone for everyone to sing. "Hell is for Children" followed with Pat still promising to play the song at every concert until all the children in the world are safe. Neil mentioned that the next song "Should have you all dancing," as they played "Love is a Battlefield", which indeed had much of the audience dancing in their seats and the band left the stage to thunderous applause and cheers. The crowd rushed excitedly to the front as they came on to play the encore. The first encore was "Promises in the Dark", which again had everyone singing and the final number, "Heartbreaker", proved to be another crowd favourite as everyone stood up and started dancing. Neil's loud guitar solo at the end of the song proved to be a fitting climax to the performance as the band left the stage to a standing ovation. After seeing Pat and Neil perform quite a few times in recent years, I found it difficult to imagine they could get any better, but they certainly seem to have stepped their performance up another a couple of notches, proving to be another great concert, serving to whet our appetites for their upcoming Summer tour. Set list:
July 8 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live Metromix Review Fan review by Linda & Jim Hailes Benatar/Giraldo, they get better every year! Awesome show, Pat really interacted with the crowd and the set list was this:
July 17 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
Rachel's Rockin' Review! The concert was awesome! It was a birthday present from my mom and dad for my 18th birthday and tt was best birthday ever!!!!! Pat and Neil sounded awesome!!!! It was a great night for me and a birthday I will never ever, ever forget! The only thing was I was at the back of the theatre in the wheelchair seating (I have cerebral Palsy) and everyone stood up at the beginning so I had to dodge heads to see Pat and Neil. In fact at one point when they played "Every Time I Fall Back" Neil told everyone to sit down. It was an AWESOME night none the less. Pat and Neil sounded and looked awesome!!!!!! It was the best birthday present ever!!! I even got my picture taken by Pat's tour bus!!!!!!!! PAT AND NEIL ROCK!!!! Here's the set list:
Piece and love to all who rock, After attending their excellent concert in Chicago the previous night, my wife Julie and I had the good fortune to attend Pat and Neil's concert in Goshen, Indiana, on Saturday evening. We arrived at the Elkhart County Fairground in lots of time and after having a bite to eat, we took our seats next to Libby and Melissa, who were kind enough to purchase the tickets for us when they went on sale. Pat, Neil and the band took the stage at eight o'clock to rousing cheers. Pat was dressed in a short black skirt, black tights, a black tank top and black jacket (do I notice a trend here ???). After their third song, We Live For Love, Pat stopped for a couple of minutes to talk to the audience and was interrupted several times by a passing train blowing it's horn. After the third time of being cut off, she said, "Don't make me come down there and take care of you", which brought lots of laughter from the crowd. She then thanked the crowd for a warm welcome on her first trip to Goshen. She then expressed her concern that the earlier heavy rain could have cancelled the concert, but luckily the rain had stopped. During the next number "Invincible", my wife was chosen for a brief interview by the local newspaper and had her picture taken holding our license plate "PATSFAN1" which appeared on the front page the next day, along with other people who were interviewed. After slowing things down with "Every Time I Fall Back", there was a scurry of activity on stage as Neil feigned being a quarterback taking a snap from the Center and told the crowd they were calling an audible, and changing things up a little. Instead of playing "Strawberry Wine" as they had the previous night in Chicago, they skipped that song and went straight into "We Belong", after which they livened things up with the crowd favourite, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" during which Pat insisted on everyone singing. They finished the first set with "Love is a Battlefield", which had everyone dancing in their seats. When the band came on the crowd rushed to the front, only to be sent back to their seats by security. Pat and Neil then played "River of Love", a fine replacement for "Strawberry Wine" which was omitted earlier. After "River" the band played "Promises in the Dark", whereupon Pat motioned for the crowd to come to the front. Taking the cue from Pat, the crowd rushed past security to the barriers in front of the stage. It was very wet and muddy, but no-one seemed to care. It didn't seem to bother anyone when the rain started falling quite heavily. After finishing the song, Pat stared up at the rain and looked questioningly towards Neil as if to ask whether they should play another song. At this point the crowd were screaming and urging them to carry on playing. The audience were so loud; I couldn't hear what Pat was saying over the microphone. The band then broke into "Heartbreaker". This seemed to whip the crowd into a frenzy as Pat belted out the lyrics in the way only she can. Towards the end of the song, Neil played a guitar riff from The Godfather, which seemed to amuse Pat a great deal. The song ended with the thoroughly soaked crowd screaming and cheering for more, but all things must come to an end, and the band left the stage to deafening cheers and applause. I don't know how Pat and Neil do it, but they raised their game once again and provided everyone with another terrific concert - the best I have seen this year. In closing I would like to thank Libby and Melissa for their extreme hospitality and kindness during our stay in Chicago, South Bend and Goshen. Hope to do the same next year !!!!! Set List
August 1 Costa Mesa, CA Pacific Amphitheatre Orange County Register Review August 23 Hinckley, MN Grand Casino Fan review by Steve and Sue Slivicki We are not big players, but when the tour date at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN was posted, we decided to roll the dice and see the show. (Knowing all along that the entertainment would be a sure thing!) After a short, speedy 1 ˝ hour cruise to the venue, it was obvious the place was buzzing with anticipation. People were here to see Pat and Neil. The venue was ok, we had 11th row seats. Not too bad, but we have had much better. Seems the high rollers got first dibs, and that is business I can understand. Let me just say, that we have seen Pat several times. Once the sound people got it right, (about 3 songs in) it was the strongest technical performance we have seen. My favorite, the rock version of “We live for Love” was nailed down hard. On the way to the show we listened to the LIVE CD version, and I told my wife to listen tonight and see if she hits the high notes…..blown away!! Neil’s guitar work was very crisp. I especially liked his comments about Guitar Hero (Best Shot) , and watch how it is done……He smoked it! He has obviously put in work on the supporting vocals. His harmonies were very smooth. The most noticeable thing to us was the attitude of the band. The energy level was fantastic, and they were just having a blast. With each other, and the crowd. Thanks again for a great show!! Until next time….. Keep Rockin’
Steve and Sue Slivicki I thought I would write about the recent experience that my wife, Julie, and I had at Pat's recent concert at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. As the "All Fired Up" tour is drawing to a close, we decided we would purchase a couple of VIP passes to the concert through Pat and Neil's online store. After we bought the passes, we were told that instead of meeting Pat and Neil after the show, we would be meeting them before the show because of scheduling commitments. As instructed, my wife and I reported to the merchandise booth and met Randy, the gentleman selling the goods. When Randy learned that we had VIP passes, he immediately gave us pins, key rings, stickers and CD's. He also offered a DVD but we already had everything that he was selling. He did not have tee shirts available in our sizes, but when we informed him that we would be at Pat's next show in Verona, he promised to have our shirts for us before that concert (a promise he made good on). Randy talked to us for about 15 minutes as he was setting up his wares - he told us how much he enjoys touring with the band and the road crew. Then John (Pat and Neil's manager) emerged from the concert hall, introduced himself to us and gave us our VIP passes. John then led us past the line-up and into the arena and backstage where all the road crew were busy making their final adjustments to the set. He showed us all the guitars that Neil uses during the concert and the drum kit that Chris pounds away on. I was amazed to see that Neil still uses vacuum tubes for his amplification rather than transistors and diodes (who cares what he uses - he always sounds great !!!!!). We were then showed the inside of the 48 foot truck that transports the equipment - was it ever huge !!!!! Following this, we were led to the room where we were to meet Pat and Neil. John had some business to attend to and asked us to wait outside for a few minutes. While we were waiting, Mick (the bassist) walked by, shook hands with us, and mentioned that he had seen us many times before in the audience. He then asked us where we lived and after I told him we live east of Toronto, he said we must be either diehard fans or crazy to drive 600 miles to see a concert. I tend to think he was right on both counts !!!!! Shortly after he left, Peter, the head of the road crew, stopped by and talked to us for about 10 minutes, telling us that he was originally from the Buffalo area, but now lives in California. John then returned, instructing an usher to take the people for the "Meet and Greet" into the room. He then told us we would be meeting Pat and Neil after the other people had their photos taken with them. After the crowd were led into the room, Neil arrived and recognizing us from previous concerts, gave us a nod and smile, then disappeared into Pat's dressing room. He soon came out and announced to John that Pat was still eating and had decided to meet the other people by himself. When everyone had their photo taken with him, he motioned us over and spoke with us for a little while before the three of us had our photo taken. Neil told us that he has seen us in the audience on numerous occasions, but maybe not all the time because with the lights being focused on the stage, it is sometimes very difficult to see. He also mentioned that both he and Pat both wear earphones during their performance, so they can't hear anything either. When learning we hail from Toronto, he too expressed concern about our sanity. He then signed my "PATSFAN1" license plate, a publicity picture and a copy of a newspaper that had a picture of my wife taken at one of their concerts in July. I excused myself and went to retrieve something I had left in the hallway outside the room and as I was returning to the room, Pat emerged from her dressing room and after immediately recognizing me, she said, "Hi", and asked how I was as she approached the meeting room. She looked amazing (as she always does) dressed in a leopard-spotted open shirt, covering a black tank top. Her pants were black pinstripes and she wore black shoes with two-inch heels. Her hair was straight, with a small pigtail on each side. She followed me into the room (I forgot my manners as I should have let her go first) and immediately began talking to the people present for her Meet and Greet before having a picture taken with them. When everyone else had left, John introduced us as the "VIP people". Pat looked at Julie and said, "Oh you didn't !!!!!", as she welcomed my wife with open arms (I think Pat was referring to the fact that we had purchased the VIP passes). We had our picture taken with Pat and after Neil checked that everything was okay with John and Pat, he started to walk out of the room. I managed to catch up with him and asked if he planned to play a round of golf at their next stop in Verona. Neil then began to regale me with how much he enjoys playing golf, particularly at the course in Verona. After a couple of minutes, I returned to find Pat and Julie having a chat while Pat signed our paraphernalia. Following Pat's exit, John showed us to our VIP seats located at the side of the stage. After taking our seats, John engaged us in some interesting conversation - I'm sure he must have had more important things to do than to visit with us, but he stayed with us all the time until the show started. Being able to watch the concert from the side of the stage gave us a totally different perspective. The volume certainly wasn't as loud as it is when we sit in the audience, but it was fascinating to see the concert from a different viewpoint. I saw what Neil meant regarding his earlier comment about not being able to see too much of the audience when the stage is illuminated. We were allowed to take photos of the performance, but with the flash on our camera turned off. Quite a few of the photos didn't turn out too well, but we managed to garner a few good shots for our scrapbook. Both Julie and I felt a little out of place, but I think Pat and Neil recognised this and periodically looked and smiled at us as if to reassure us - Neil even flicked one of his guitar picks at us, which was soon retrieved by my wife. The concert itself was terrific as usual, marred only by some drunk girl climbing onstage, who was quickly removed by the manager, John, and security. At the end of the show, we made our way out of the concert hall and took our souvenirs up to our hotel room, for fear they would get lost. We decided to get a bite to eat and as we passed the concert hall, we saw Mick and Chris talking to some of the people that had attended the concert. I asked my wife to ask them if they could wait a few minutes while I returned with our license plate and publicity picture for them to sign. I rushed back to our room and when I returned I discovered that Mick and Chris were only too pleased to wait for me. They obligingly added their signatures and Chris mentioned that he had seen our license plate in the crowd at a few concerts. He then suggested that the four of us had our picture taken with the plate - it was then that I realized I did not bring my camera down from our room. Randy, the guy selling the merchandise offered to take a couple of pictures with his cell phone and told me he would send them to me (another promise he kept). We thanked Mick and Chris for their patience and time and after they wished us a safe drive home, we made our way to get something to eat.
Although the VIP tickets were quite expensive, I would have to say that the whole experience was worth every penny for this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Sincere thanks to everyone involved (too numerous to mention individually). They made us feel welcome and went out of their way to ensure we were taken care of in every way. In fact rather than feel like VIPs, we were made to feel like royalty !!!!! Set List
1. All Fired Up Encore
11. Promises in the Dark The concert at Verona was tremendous - Pat and Neil seemed to be on top form, as did Mick and Chris. They even added a lively version of "Let's Stay Together" in with their regular set. It proved to be fitting climax to our last "Benatour" of 2008. Roll on next year when Pat and Neil have promised a few surprises for their 30th Anniversary Tour. Set List
1. All Fired Up Encore
11. River of Love |