Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Ron Lyon
You have to love these package bills at the Orange County Fair. Three days after celebrating the music of the late 60s and 70s with a slew of legends at the Happy Together show, here I was, stepping into another popular era for music — the 80s! Yes, the 80s is a time for nostalgia (however misdirected), and what better way to relive those days than with two female-led outfits — Berlin featuring Terri Nunn, and Pat Benatar with her guitar playing husband Neil “Spider” Giraldo.
After a short opening set from Madasen McGrath, the Pacific Amphitheatre started to percolate with anticipation for Berlin. The band started up in Orange County in the late 70s — singer Terri Nunn eagerly mentioned this tonight — so it was a homecoming of sorts. At precisely 8:00 (because the organizers are ever so punctual), the lights lowered and the video screens lit up with snippets of classic Berlin music video clips. Right there, it became crystal clear that Berlin and bands like Berlin were at the forefront of MTV and the music video revolution of the 1980s.
As the only original member left (co-founder John Crawford maintains a profile solo career), Terri Nunn was joined by keyboardist Dave Schulz, guitarist Carlton Bost and
drummer Chris Olivas for a 45-minute, eight-song set that included hits like “No More Words” and “The Metro.” Each song seemed to be accompanied by its own video, except “Take My Breath Away,” Berlin’s one and only Number One that graced the soundtrack for the film Top Gun and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. For this one, Nunn strolled around the first 10, 15 rows of the amphitheatre, surrounded by security, shrouded in a hot spotlight, and gaining favor with everyone she passed by.
In between songs, Nunn repeatedly called out “Orange County” and even shared her experience of bringing her daughter to the fair. It all seemed pure and wholesome until she and the band played a newer song called “Animal” from the 2013 album of the same name. This song, like the others, has a video…a rather provocative video at that. Not that I have any objections, but it wasn’t exactly a fair-friendly film, although Nunn herself looked like she had a good time making it. They followed that one up with another newer one, a ballad called “Mom.” Quite a contrast, but Nunn sang it with heart and conviction, proving once and for all, she’s a little more on the ball vocally than your average video vixen from the 80s. Even the rather quick and salty run through of “Sex (I’m A…)” can’t change that.
Just before 9:00, the video screen once again lit up, this time with a five-minute career retrospective chronicling Pat Benatar and Neil “Spyder” Giraldo’s musical aspirations, meeting each other, their marriage and meteoric rise to stardom. Tonight, with 1979 designated as their first year, they were celebrating 35 years together by digging deeply into their wellspring of big hits. At the video’s conclusion, the elaborate stage festooned with three large Persian rugs and a strangely indescribable backdrop built around the tour logo welcomed Benatar, Giraldo, drummer Chris Ralles and bassist Mick Mahan.
Benatar, a four-time Grammy winner, didn’t waste any time diving headlong into a string of her and Giraldo’s beloved songs from her illustrious past. The opener “Shadows Of The Night” was a good indication that Benatar with her mezzo-soprano vocal range can still belt out a vocal, while Giraldo manhandled his red Gibson ES-335 through gales of verses. They dubbed in the keys for this one, but that didn’t take anything away from the jagged edges and band’s playability. Maybe a keyboardist was hiding backstage — who knows?
“All Fired Up” rocked the house, and Benatar in her plaid dungarees again exhibited her vocal prowess as stunningly powerful and precise as she did in 1985 when I last saw her at Los Angeles Sports Arena. That’s what a little healthy living and a solid family foundation will do for you. For his part, Spyder scrawled out a rockabilly-scented lead that added fuel to the song’s potency. He definitely deserves recognition for his guitar playing and songwriting, after spending so many years in the shadow of his wife.
Later in the show, after Benatar told the audience she and Giraldo were celebrating their 312nd wedding anniversary, her husband got behind a grand piano to tinkle out the opening notes for “Promises In The Dark,” which proved to be a major showcase for Benatar, before Spyder lifted off with the song’s distinctive guitar lines.
Simple and direct, “So Sincere,” from Benatar’s 1979 debut album In The Heat Of The Night, was especially poignant as it was co-written with bassist Roger Capps, who spent many years with Benatar and Giraldo, and later sat in with the band for a couple of numbers. Two wooden stools came out as Giraldo sat behind the piano, playing random lines. “I love this song,” a glowing Benatar remarked as she took a seat, “I can pretty much guarantee that you have sung this song in Karaoke at least once. Definitely the hairbrush in the mirror…” The opening notes of a restrained “We Belong” echoed out over the amphitheatre, then the song’s inimitable synths kicked things up a notch as Giraldo, an acoustic now in his hand, took a seat next to Benatar and strummed along. And indeed, the entire audience, hairbrushes notwithstanding, joined in on the chorus.
The intensity carried over into “Hell Is For Children,” before Capps came up for “You Better Run” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Spyder also played a snippet of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” reminding the audience who played the song’s original guitar parts (not such a coincidence when you consider Benatar and Giraldo have been touring with Springfield this year). Even though the closing “Love Is A Battlefield” was supplemented by dubbed-in keys, Giraldo saved the day with some stellar fretwork.
The fair’s curfew imposed an early encore of Benatar’s break-out hit, “Heartbreaker,” enhanced with a campy slice of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” that left half the audience scratching their heads, and the other half leaping for joy. By 10:15, it was all over as the band took their bows and sauntered off stage. Chalk up another winning combination for the Orange County Fair.
