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On the left side of the Suburban Park Stage, an interpreter translated Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ lyrics into American Sign Language as the band rocked the stage. Karen Engel and her daughter, Amara, who is hard of hearing, returned to the Great New York State Fair because of its accessibility, and this time, they also came specifically for Jett.

“Having interpreters is really nice. It makes the experience so much more enjoyable because we can enjoy it together,” Karen said.

The Great New York State Fair hosted rock ‘n’ roll legend Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on Wednesday for an unforgettable live performance. The crowd for the band ranged from adults who grew up listening to the band in the 1970s to toddlers watching the stage in awe from atop their father’s shoulders. The band has become a fairgoer favorite, featured on the stage five times since 2006 and last performing on Labor Day in 2021.

This year, the band’s performance fell on Women’s Day at the Fair, which gives fairgoers the chance to hear inspiring speeches from women leaders and advocacy groups. Jett defeated gender-based stereotypes in the 1970s and was coined the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

Wearing her signature black skinny jeans and combat boots, Jett ran onto the stage, igniting cheers and whistles from the audience. When the opening chords to “Shooting Into Space” resounded through the fairgrounds, a family in the front row broke into dance.

Shelly Canavan and her daughters are Syracuse locals and big fans of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Canavan already saw Jett and her band this summer on The Triple Moon Tour with Alanis Morissette.

Canavan said the crowd’s singing and dancing lacked energy during Jett’s set on the Triple Moon Tour. This time around, though, she had high hopes for the band’s performance and audience reception at the Fair.

“I just hope people are gonna dance and move,” Canavan said. “There’s nothing worse than coming to a show and people just sit there. I’m hoping (Jett) gets a lot of movement tonight because she kicks it. She’s still rocking hard.”

The audience turned out for Jett and the band, with many singing along to every lyric and shouting, “We love you, Joan,” in between songs.

Perhaps the most energetic crowd members were Canavan’s daughters. The two jumped and danced alongside their mother throughout the set, and joined Jett in singing the words to their favorite song, “Cherry Bomb.”

“Hello, daddy, hello, mom / I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb/ Hello world, I’m your wild girl/ I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb,” Jett sang.

Jett took notice of the crowd’s young rockers and tossed her guitar pick in their direction. The two searched for the pick with wide smiles and continued enjoying the show.

Another audience member, Brittany Kro, drove from Rochester, NY to attend the concert and shared Canavan and her daughters’ love for Jett’s music. She, too, grew up listening to the band’s discography. Kro has seen Jett nearly a dozen times, from the Vans Warped Tour to the Queen Latifah Show, in her 20 years of being a fan.

Kro recounted the first time she met Jett following the 2010 release of “The Runaways,” a biographical movie about the rocker’s first all-woman band.

“I went to see ‘The Runaways’ movie on a Monday, and that Friday, me and my dad flew to New York City at the JFK Airport and we met (Jett) there,” Kro said.

Now, over a decade later, she was excited to meet Jett again – this time, at the Fair and not by coincidence. Kro went to the concert with her father, who played Jett’s songs like “Bad Reputation” at home. Jett and the band closed out with the iconic tune.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts not only put on a great show, but united family members of various generations.

“We’ve always loved Joan Jett, and I was from the generation of MTV, so (her generation) had a different connection with the music,” Karen said.

Published on August 29, 2024 at 2:08 am

Contact: Jepryor@syr.edu