On a hot night, Benatar rocked like it was '85
The temperature may have been way into the 90s Saturday, but inside the
Benatar, now in her 50s, treated the large crowd to hits from her two-decades-plus career including ''Heartbreaker," ''We Live for Love," and ''We Belong." Dressed all in black with a short blazer, she looked magnificent; mature, but still dignified and beautiful. Today's modern pop tarts should be taking notes.
Her voice dripped with emotion and bravado as she tackled ''Shadows of the Night" and her cover of Kate Bush's ''Wuthering Heights," which she said was a rarity for her to do live. ''Heights" remained chilling and drew rousing applause from the audience.
But if there was a single point in the set that proved Benatar could still rock, it was during ''Hell Is for Children," a song about child abuse that she sang with conviction and purpose. She was still able to belt out ''Hell is for hell" through the cadenza with ferocity.
Giraldo did his part, masterfully moving his fingers up and down the fret board like a pro worthy of sharing top billing with Benatar. He took his time to shine during the bluesy ''True Love," which really showcased what he could do.
After the 90-minute set of one hit after another, Benatar and Giraldo returned to the stage and entertained the crowd with their biggest hit, ''Love Is a Battlefield." Despite severe heat and fatigue, the crowd went into a frenzy and shimmied right through the end.
Openers Oppera offered another blast from the past, as frontwoman Martika obliged the crowd with an a cappella rendition of her 1989 hit ''Toy Soldiers." The modern rock sounds of Oppera are a far cry from her old bubblegum pop, but as a rocker, she wasn't half-bad.
