PopBuff

Joan Jett Live at the OC Fair July 25

My most vivid memory of Joan Jett in the early 80s was watching Americas’ Top 10 with Casey Kasem when Casey announced the number one song of that week was “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” and I was glad.

Yes, I do love Rock ‘N’ Roll. I wish I was at Joan Jett’s concert at that time but I was too young. Although, I was physically young, my mind was mature enough to appreciate Joan Jett’s music. According to Billboard, the song reached number one for seven weeks in the spring of 1982.

Although best known as Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, she had formed her first band at the age of 15 which was called “The Runaways”, an all-girl punk rock band. Cherry Bomb was the Runaways’ signature song, which Joan and then-manager Kim Fowley composed together.

The Runaways never had commercial success in the US but were a sensation in Japan. In 2010, a movie was made about the Runaways that starred Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

VH1 ranked Jett as one of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll and Rolling Stones magazine named “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” as one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Aside from “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll”, my next favorites are “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and “Crimson and Clover”. These two songs are truly rocking tunes. The guitar sounds just vibrant and the lyrics are memorably written.

If you want to go down solid rock memory lane and experience Joan Jett in all her glory, see her live at The Pacific Amphitheatre on Thursday, July 25. It’s going to be a rockin’ red hot summer.

PopBuff

B52s at the Pacific Amphitheater July 18

If you want to experience a memorable and high-octane energy party, see the B-52s at The Pacific Amphitheatre on Thursday, July 18.

Let’s admit it, when we hear the song “Rock Lobster” we instantly groove to this dance rock tune. It was one of the first videos I watched growing up in the 80s. I loved mimicking the lobster hand dance which lots of hopping and falling to the ground when you hear the part of the song “down down down.” I was 11 when this breakout blockbuster song hit the airwaves. What a fun song it was for a tween like me.

The band’s 60s retro look – dueling beehive hairdos, bright colors and eclectic outfits are quite appealing, if you want to have a theme party. No wonder, the band has been dubbed the world’s greatest party band. Thirty years and counting, they still have their mojos and rockin’ fans all over the world.

Although they produced a number of albums, my favorite is “The Cosmic Thing.” I bought the tape in the early 90s because of the infectious tunes of “Roam,” “Love Shack” and “Deadbeat Club.” It’s been said that Cosmic Thing was their comeback album after the death of former guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985.

The Athens, GA group was one of the cornerstone bands of the New Wave period. Their genre is so unique that it can’t be duplicated-electronic, New Wave, partly 60s, and jangle pop, at least in my opinion. The group multi-instrumentalist members, coupled with the amazing voices of Kate and Cindy, are the main reasons why they are still touring and grooving stages across the country.

ABC’s original frontman Martin Fry will headline a night at the Coach House

If you grew up in the ’80s and don’t know ABC you must have been New Wave deprived. ABC was one of the most popular New Wave bands of the early ’80s and was also part of the MTV British invasion with the likes Of Duran Duran, Culture Club, Thompson Twins, OMD, etc. Martin Fry is the quintessential frontman of the band known for his pop slick trademark gold suit and robust, urbanesque vocal performance.

“Lexicon of Love,” is the debut album, was also their most successful album which reached number one in the UK Albums Chart, it includes the hit “Poison Arrow” and “The Look of Love,” which is my personal favorite. ABC’s genre has been described as new romantic, new wave, synth-driven dance pop that populated the MTV airwaves in the 80s.The group scored their first US Top 10 hit in 1985 with the song “Be Near Me.” Other hits that dominated the dance floors at the time were “The Night You Murdered Love,” “When Smokey Sings” and “How to be a Millionaire.”

If you’ve been following my column and my blog popbuff.com, you have noticed that I love to dance. ABC evokes fond memories of my generation when FM radio ruled and I would dance to their tracks when DJs played their songs.

Wailing saxophone, romantic lyrics, keyboard driven, lushly produced and finely crafted rhymes define the 80s sound of ABC. When they were on the circuit promoting their music, you often saw them on variety shows like Solid Gold, American Band Stand and the British music chart television show Top of the Pops.

Now they are in my neck of the woods and will be playing at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on June 16, Sunday, Father’s Day. What a perfect day to celebrate Father’s Day with your husband or your dad who grew up in the 80s. Will he be clad in gold dinner suit? There’s one way to find out. Purchase your tickets now and go down 80s memory lane.

John Waite working the crowd live at the Coach House
Photo by Ruchel Friebrun

It’s been 29 years since Missing You became the #1 hit in the US. The song and video were an international smash and became one of the most memorable of the early MTV era. I was a witness to this phenomenon. Being a generation X’er and listened to America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem every week, I remember well when John Waite’s number one hit was featured there. Waite’s ‘80s pop culture influenced my generation with sold-out concerts around the world.

The English musician was a lead vocalist of The Babys and Bad English. Aside from “Missing You,” he scored several hits including “Isn’t it Time,” “Every Time I Think of You” and “When I See You Smile.” These hits became radio staples and Waite had indeed achieved rock pantheon status in the ‘80s.

Waite’s music continued to be featured in ‘90s television and cinema. His songs were included in the premiere episode of the 1997 season of Melrose Place, and films such as “True Romance” and the recent 2013 “Warm Bodies.”

With his recent concert at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, he rocked the audience with his classic hit “When I see you smile.” He performed the song a capella (yes, without musical accompaniment) and the fans stood up and sang with the artist. His band was beyond compare and the backup vocalist was simply awesome. After 30 years, the pop rock balladeer still looks amazing wearing a black double-breasted suit and sporting medium length locks.

John Waite can still belt it out. Few singers of his era can match him. His voice still sounded flawless, warm and soulful when he sang “Blue Bird café”. His overall performance was brilliant. I would describe his songs as romantic, true love with a soul in search of a deeper meaning. When you listen to his songs you feel you are being serenaded up close.
The 1 ½ concert was worth every penny. Every seat was filled and the crowd was actively taking photos. At the end of the concert, the crowd was whistling and clapping for more for the second time.

The English musician hasn’t lost his chops after all these years. He gets better as he ages. If I can describe John Waite’s performance at The Coach House that one word is “flawless.” So, if you want powerful ballads do yourself a favor catch him live or check out his latest cd Rough and Tumble.