The 60’s and 80’s collided for the last weekend of Buffalo Place Rocks-Music at Canalside Concert Series. Eric Burden, plus Pat Bentar and Neil Giraldo helped bring the season to close in tremendous fashion. Let’s start with the headliners Pat Bentar and Neil Giraldo. When billed just as Pat Bentar, she ruled the 80’s music scene with an amazing voice and eye catching videos, bringing her into everybody’s household during the MTV video craze, back when videos had a direct impact on launching many successful artists.
Fast forward to Buffalo this past Friday night, Benatar and Giraldo played an 85-minute set that spanned their entire career. What better way to open up a show than with the adrenaline pumping “All Fired Up.” A few songs later, Giraldo placed 2 stools at the end of the stage where he then proceeded to tell the story of how he and Benatar met. It was in NYC where “In the Heat of the Night” then subsequently, “Crimes of Passion” soon thereafter, were created. “This was done in such a short span and next thing you know, 9 years later we never stopped touring or making music,” he proclaimed.
Giraldo (or “Spyder” as Benatar calls him), went back and forth between the piano and both acoustic and electric guitars all night. One of the highlights of the evening was the song “Hell is for Children.” Benatar remarked how the song was written by her and former bassist Roger Capps and then Spyder came in to put the music to it. Her voice was steady and strong during the tune and the band gave the song a good punch. Giraldo obliged the fans by throwing out many picks during “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”
This was the 2nd last show of the entire summer for the band but for the most part, they definitely hit Buffalo with their best shot. Opening was 72 years young, Eric Burdon. You may remember this name from the 1960’s with his former band The Animals. Eric played a very strong 40-minute set which included some of the biggest songs written from that era. “It’s My Life” and “House of the Rising Sun” were crowd pleasers. Eric didn’t have much time due to being an opener but nonetheless, he had a smile on his face the entire time and delivered each song with fire & passion. Many fans were there to see him and went away very impressed by his performance.
Pat Benatar Set List:
All Fired Up
Invincible
So Sincere
Sex as a Weapon
Promises in the Dark
We Belong
Hell Is for Children
You Better Run
Hit Me with Your Best Shot
Love Is a Battlefield
Encore:
Everybody Lay Down
Let’s Stay Together
Heartbreaker / Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)
Pat Benatar Set List:
When I was Young
Inside Out (The Animals song)
Water
Misunderstood (Nina Simone cover)
Sill the Wine
Bo Diddley Special
Black Dog
We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place
It’s My Life
House of the Rising Sun (The Animals song)
Caitlin DeForest from Webster PR for the credentials to review the show.
