Joan Jett – the Who May 2015: The Rock Show of The year?
Who are they?
I dunno who to congratulate first, the Who or Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Elvis Costello opened for the Who a coupla years ago at a benefit gig, but you’d have to go as far back as the Clash to find an opening act as great as Joanie for these cats. Because, yes indeed folks, Joan Jett is the opening act at the Who’s 50 Anniversary gigs in May 2015.
This is from ultimate rock (here):
“Newly minted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joan Jett and her Blackhearts will open for the Who‘s 50th anniversary tour when it hits North America next year.
The tour will land in the U.S. on April 15, three days before Jett is officially inducted into the Rock Hall at a ceremony in Cleveland. The first date is in Tampa, with Miami the following night; the tour will resume the night after Jett’s induction in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Who Hits 50! tour started in Glasgow on Nov. 30, but recently came to a halt after singer Roger Daltrey came down with a throat infection. The last two dates of 2014, tonight and tomorrow in London, were postponed and have been rescheduled for March 22 and 23.
The North American tour is divided into two parts, a spring section that includes 20 dates that run through the end of May. The concerts resume in the fall with an additional 25 or so dates that will continue through the end of November.
“Having Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, a great American rock band, support us on our North American dates will ensure concert-goers a full night of entertainment,” Daltrey said in a statement announcing Jett’s opening gig. “I love her.”
“We’ve been very close friends with Joan Jett for a long time,” added Pete Townshend. “She is the real deal. This will be a great night of rock and roll for everyone.” You can see the complete list of North American dates below.
The Who Hits 50! North American Tour Dates
4/15 — Tampa, FL
4/17 — Miami, FL
4/19 — Jacksonville, FL
4/21 — Raleigh, NC
4/23 — Duluth, GA
4/27 — Austin, TX
4/29 — Houston, TX
5/2 — Dallas, TX
5/11 — Nashville, TN
5/13 — Chicago, IL
5/15 — Columbus, OH
5/17 — Philadelphia, PA
5/20 — Uniondale, NY
5/22 — Atlantic City, NJ
5/24 — Uncasville, CT
5/26 — Brooklyn, NY
5/30 — Forest Hills, NY
6/21 – Belfast, Ireland
6/23 – Dublin, Ireland
9/14 — San Diego, CA
9/16 — Anaheim, CA
9/19 — Las Vegas, NV
9/21 — Los Angeles, CA
9/23 — Oakland, CA
9/25 — Portland, OR
9/27 — Seattle, WA
9/29 — Vancouver, BC
10/1 — Calgary, AB
10/10 — Minneapolis, MN
10/13 — Milwaukee, WI
10/15 — Chicago, IL
10/17 — Detroit, MI
10/19-21 — Toronto, ON
10/23 — Pittsburgh, PA
10/25 — Newark, NJ
10/27 — New York, NY
10/29 — Boston, MA
11/1 — Washington, DC
11/4 — Philadelphia, PA
Except for an appearance here (Against Me’s coming out party a coupla years ago) and there (with nirvana earlier this year), I haven’t seen Joanie perform a solo set in decades though back in the late 70s I saw the Runaways at CBGBs. And I did catch em back when when I wrote the Creem cover story. So I am very excited for the chance for what amounts to the rock and roll show of 2015 (at least on paper).
I’m going to the Barclay Center gig, May 26 th… see you then…
