Joan Jett takes off at State Fair

By Jim Catalano
Cortland Ticket Staff

Two years after her last appearance at the New York State Fair, Joan Jett returned to the Chevrolet Court and showed that her trademark brand of rock ‘n' roll is as powerful as ever.

Now in her late 40s, Jett looks even younger that she did on the cover of her 1981 album, “I Love Rock ‘N' Roll,” which I picked up at the merchandise table before the show. After an introduction by Senator Chuck Schumer, Jett took the stage clad in a black bikini top (it was hot, humid afternoon) clutching her trademark white Gibson guitar and barreled into her personal theme song, “Bad Reputation.”

Backed by a tight band that included longtime drummer Thommy Price (he also played with Billy Idol for years) and guitarist Dougie Needles, Jett did most of her top songs, including “Light of Day” (written for her by Bruce Springsteen), “Crimson and Clover,” “Cherry Bomb” (which dates back to her Runaways days), and, of course, “I Love Rock ‘n' Roll.” She also included her raucous version of “Love is All Around,” the theme from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

Jett also played several songs from her fine 2006 album “Sinner,” including the catchy “A.C.D.C.,” the timely “Riddles” (which featured audio samples of Donald Rumsfeld and President Bush) and the even timelier “Change the World,” which she introduced by hopefully referring to the upcoming presidential election.

Jett closed the 50-minute set with “I Hate Myself for Loving You” before leaving the stage. There was no encore, leaving unplayed “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” “Roadrunner” and a few other favorites (perhaps she was saving them for the evening set), but overall it was a very satisfying show - especially since it was free!

Jett set

Here's Joan Jett's set list from her 4 p.m. show at the State Fair's Chevrolet Court on Saturday, Aug. 23:

“Bad Reputation”

“Cherry Bomb”

“Light of Day”

“Change the World”

“A.C.D.C.”

“Five”

“Love is Pain”

“Naked”

“Love is All Around”

“Riddles”

“I Love Rock ‘n' Roll”

“Crimson and Clover”

“I Hate Myself for Loving You”