Concert Review: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo brought their tour to Albany's Palace Theatre on Wednesday night. Although it has been forty-six years since the release of her debut album "In The Heat of the Night," the 72-year old Benatar hasn't lost a step musically. The four time Grammy winner sounds just as strong today as she did during the height of her career. Giraldo's muscular guitar playing has always been the backbone to Benatar's songs, giving them the hard rock edge that set her apart from her 80's contemporaries. Benatar and Giraldo have been married for decades and this familiarity really shows on stage. They clearly enjoy playing these songs together and their interaction is effortless. In a time of disposable relationships and temporary everything, it is refreshing to see two people still taking the world on, together.

The band wasted no time on Wednesday night. They hit the stage with "All Fired Up" from 1988's "Wide Awake in Dreamland." They quickly followed with "Invincible," the theme to the cult classic 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean. With Mick Mahan's propulsive, funky bass line and Caesar Griffin's driving beat, "Invincible" had the fans moving. Benatar held the crowd in the palm of her hand from that point on. She offered up songs from ten of her eleven studio albums. During "We Belong," she brought singer Jackie Popovec of the opening act The Vindys out to sing the duet. (More on Popovec later.) They closed the main set out with a run of monster hits. "Shadows of the Night," "Hell is for Children" and "You Better Run" set the stage for the barn burning set closer "Love is a Battlefield." That song, along with most of the set are ingrained in my nearly 50 year old brain. I grew up on MTV and can still vividly see Ms. Benatar battle dancing in the video for this song. A three song encore culminated with her first major hit "Heartbreaker." The song sounds as fresh and vital as it did in 1979. The pummeling guitar riff and Benatar's raspy, powerhouse vocals pair together to make something truly remarkable. She sent her fans out into the dreary, drizzly night riding a high.

Youngstown, Ohio natives The Vindys opened the show with a quick seven song setlist that was all killer and no filler. They wasted no time with in between song banter. Instead, singer/guitarist Popovec grabbed the crowd's attention with her voice. She is equal parts Beth Hart and Pat Benatar with a little bit of Ann Wilson thrown in for good measure. That being said, she was far from a carbon copy. Her stage presence and huge voice set her apart. It takes a special performer to get people invested in songs that they don't know. That is exactly what The Vindys was able to do. By the first chorus of the first song "Don't Tell Me, Just Love Me" I was hooked. The surprise of the night and the highlight of the opening set was a stellar cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." The song was a perfect showcase for Popovec's impressive pipes. Check them out now, thank me later.

See the photo gallery below!