TRR Revue and Photography by: Alan Duckworth

It’s time to rock out with Pat Benatar, Cheap Trick and Brynn Marie. The lucky people here at Wolf Trap were fortunate enough to have all three acts performing here tonight. Their summer tour has been sort of tic-tac-toe with all three bands periodically going their separate ways only to meet back up again. Well, they all showed up and we’re all the better for it. We heard more hits than a Bryce Harper batting practice.

Brynn Marie kicked things off; she’s a pop/country singer with a rock n’ roll attitude. Not by any means a negative attitude her lyrics just translate as very defiant. Just take her recently released single “Bandaid on a Bullet Hole”, she pretty much states, get lost sorry isn’t good enough anymore. That’s a pretty strong statement. She sounded good but didn’t have the compliment of a full band with her, just guitar. It would have been nice to hear a full band especially with a venue as large as this one. Brynn Marie is still a name to look out for.

Next up was pretty much the reason I showed up; Cheap Trick! Now, I love Pat Benatar and I love her even more after seeing her perform but we’re talking about Cheap Trick; the pranksters of classic rock! These guys! Their whole act is like an awesome practical joke. C’mon; have you ever listened to the lyrics of “Surrender?” Hysterical!  They performed the theme to That 70’s Show, the Big Star cover “In The Street.” That caught me off guard; I didn’t know that was them. With all the humility they still remained genuine with songs like “I Want You To Want Me.” The song is actually quite sentimental. Their showmanship was amazing! Guitarist Rick Neilsen was constantly tossing guitar picks into the audience. He would literally use one for 5 seconds before tossing it! Rick also used a variety of guitars throughout the set, like his infamous five-neck guitar; ridiculous! Robin Zander sounded incredible performing “Dream Police.” There’s something very unique about his voice, live when he’s singing the “you know talk is cheap” verse. They put on a terrific show! Of course in Cheap Trick fashion they ended their set with “Goodnight.”  They made it a great night; this is one performance I will never forget.

All this and I haven’t even gotten to Pat Benatar yet. Now Cheap Trick is a tough act to follow but there’s a reason Pat Benatar is headlining and It has to be her powerful voice. She’s like a rock n’ roll opera singer. Giraldo on guitar was the perfect accomplice as well. His style of playing is heavy but clean. What I liked most about Pat Benatar is how she mesmerizes the audience before rocking their socks off! Like when she performed “Promises In The Dark.”  Of course “Love Is A Battlefield” was epic. When Pat Benatar hits those soul piercing high notes, you can feel it in your core.

This was an exemplary concert all around! I left with a lot more than I entered with and that’s knowledge of what great music sounds like. There was never a dry moment and the whole show was like a rock n’ roll crescendo leading up to “Heartbreaker.” Pat Benatar you really did “hit me with your best shot.”

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Alan Duckworth

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