As part of their 35th anniversary tour, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo will be appearing at the Lowell Summer Music Series on Friday, July 10! I have never seen them and finally have my chance!

“Pat Benatar: she’s always been a rule-breaker and a trail-blazer, she remains a bold and distinctive artist both on stage and on record, and now, after more than three decades in rock ‘n’ roll, she’s a bona fide living legend.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (Official Photo)

“The world was first introduced to Giraldo and Benatar’s enduring partnership and rock ‘n’ roll love affair with the release of their 1979 album In The Heat Of The Night, which included the classic “Heartbreaker”, as well as the Giraldo-penned hit, “We Live For Love.” The album went platinum. 1980 Grammy winning album, Crimes of Passion, saw Giraldo arranging, playing guitar and keyboards and providing vocals on many of the songs. The album included “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and reached quintuple platinum while giving Pat her first Top 10, million selling hit. The duo continued in 1981 with Precious Time, which had Giraldo officially on board as producer and arranger; as well as guitar, keyboards and vocals. Precious Time delivered a second Grammy for Benatar, for the lead single, “Fire and Ice”, and went double platinum, outdoing its predecessor by hitting #1. These achievements cemented the Giraldo/Benatar partnership as an increasingly unstoppable force in the music industry.  Pat Benatar is acknowledged as the leading female rock vocalist of the ‘80s – a feat marked by her unprecedented winning of four consecutive Grammy Awards between 1980 and 1983 as well as three American Music Awards.

“Their latest album is a double live album and DVD called 35th Anniversary Tour, chronicling their live show. Release date is April 28, 2015.

“In their thirty-fifth anniversary year, Benatar and Giraldo remain a rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse, selling out concerts and still wowing audiences after over three decades in music together. Theirs is a chemistry that will, undoubtedly, be thrilling music-lovers forever.”

Tickets for the Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo show are priced at $49 in advance (fee-free!), $55 on the day of the show (if available) and children 12 and under are always free courtesy of Eastern Bank. There are also premium seats – beach chairs are provided by the Series – set in two rows directly in front of the stage for $149.  Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 6 at 9 a.m. through Lowell Summer Music Series.

For those of you who are unaware of the  Series, or if you are aware of it but have never attended a show there, it is an outdoor (weather permitting) concert series held on National Park Service grounds in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Series is not-for-profit, which helps keep the ticket prices reasonable.

Surrounding Boarding House Park are old mill buildings, part of the Lowell National Historical Park, which you can tour if you arrive early enough. They provide an unusual setting for an evening of great music and ambiance.

The Series generally runs from late June to early September.

This Series is dear to my heart. I have been a season pass holder since 2007 and it is one of the highlights of the year (and of summer in particular) for me. Many lasting friendships have been made there. I expect this will be another excellent year!

I will post additional announcements for the Series as they are made.

Shows announced to date are:

June 19 (Friday) – Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang

June 20 (Saturday) – Ani DiFranco

June 26 (Friday) – Mike Gordon

July 9 (Thursday) – The Wood Brothers with Tall Heights

July 10 (Friday) – Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

July 17 (Friday) – Chris Robinson Brotherhood

July 18 (Saturday) – Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam

July 30 (Thursday) – Tower of Power

July 31 (Friday) – The Official Blues Brothers Revue

August 1 (Saturday) – Gordon Lightfoot

August 7 (Friday) – Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

August 14 (Friday) – Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

August 27 (Thursday) – John Hiatt & The Combo and the Taj Mahal Trio

August 28 (Friday) – Lake Street Dive

August 29 (Saturday) – Melissa Etheridge