Joan Jett hasn't forsaken her punk rock past

By DARREN WHITE
Special to the Star-Telegram

It's hard to write about Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' show and not use an expletive. She's one of the few remaining figures in rock 'n' roll who inspire cursing, spitting and heavy bourbon drinking.

From the opening chords of her seminal anthem Bad Reputation on Monday, the 46-year-old Jett had the rowdy Gypsy Tea Room crowd in the palm of her hand.

Channeling her punk rock past, Jett stuck to the punchy numbers, with tracks such as the old Runaways tune Cherry Bomb and the crowd singalong Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah!).

In an era of punk-poppers like the All-American Rejects, it's easy to forget a time when punk rock was loud, self-assured and uncontainable, but Jett seemed as youthful and vibrant as she did in her days with the legendary Runaways.

A handful of covers, including her brilliant take on Crimson & Clover and Sly Stone's excellent Everyday People, rounded out a set of Jett classics.

What makes Jett amazing is her vitality.

If there's another punk rocker from her era who still plays as bratty and looks as youthful and vibrant as Jett, I can't think of one.

Even Los Angeles rockers X, who played an energy-packed set at the Gypsy Tea Room in August, didn't quite capture the resilient energy of Jett's show. This is in part because of Jett's commendable ability to channel the ferocity of punk into positive feelings of acceptance and equality.

Jett's oft-debated sexual orientation is not the issue here: It's her ability to unite her diverse fan base under the banner of rock 'n' roll.

While many of her peers burned out to avoid fading away, Jett has done neither.

In fact, she's done the most punk thing she could have: She's stayed viable by making punk rock that aspires to make a difference or, at least, be heard.

And, yes, she played I Love Rock 'n' Roll.

GRADE: A