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It's Pat!
We must give it up for Pat Benatar.
Where fellow female rock pioneers Heart were never afraid to be pretty while they plied their trade, Pat Benatar had the guts to hit the stage and just be freaking hot. Rocking bold printed leotards and matching headbands over a pixie haircut, she was the original American Apparel model.
Belting out massive, guitar-driven rock anthems about love, loss, and oddly enough, child abuse (early b-side and radio hit “Hell is for Children”), Benatar ruled, from sold out concert halls to male suburban bedroom walls and locker doors circa 1980. Carving a path through the male-dominated FM radio monstrosity of the day with undeniable arena-ready riffs like “Heartbreaker” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” with a powerful and classically trained voice, new-school screamers like Amy Lee and Hayley Williams owe Benatar big.
No discussion of Benatar is complete without acknowledging her magnum opus, the massive ‘80s monument that is “Love is a Battlefield.” The video alone is among the greatest things ever committed to celluloid. How it was never flipped into a feature film like Prince’s Purple Rain is a question for the ages. Then again, it’s kind of perfect as it is.
It’s been 25 years since Pat Benatar was the cultural phenomenon lampooned in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but she still rocks with the best of them. Boasting one of (if not) the most enduring musical marriages of all-time with guitar hero hubby Neil Geraldo, she continues to run the road on tour, hitting 40 U.S. cities (including nearby Costa Mesa on August 1) this summer. The recently released double-CD set Pat Benatar Ultimate Collection is loaded with all the Benatar you’ll need to soundtrack the dog days of summer. Monster tracks like “Treat Me Right” and the totally out of control “Shadows of the Night” have taken over the car stereo, perfect for the long 4th of July weekend. Now if only gas wasn't a whopping $5 a gallon, I could blast it up and down the PCH from now through Sunday. Ah, the good old days of 2006. Happy holiday, y'all!
—Scott T. Sterling
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