Jett Screamer, Take Two

Who can turn the world on with a smile?:
Joan Jett grins during her Aug. 23 Chevy Court, while lead guitarist
Dougie Needles jumps for joy. PHIL D. RAPPER PHOTOS

Maybe her energy was derived from a
backstage drive-by with the entourage of Sen. Chuck Schumer, who later
strolled Chevy Court’s perimeter as he gladhanded visitors while
pitching a possible dream teaming of the Syracuse Chiefs and the New
York Mets. Or perhaps it was the excitable crowd of perhaps 8,000 to
10,000 afternoon fairgoers who spilled across the court’s grassy field.
At one point Jett peered into the sea of humanity and, bowled over by
their rapturous reaction, uttered a simple “Wow!” 

Hey, who knows what kind of musical muse
she was channeling that day, because all that really mattered is that
Jett was still capable of rocking out hard. Tattooed lead guitarist Dougie Needles
supplied plenty of grit for Jett’s sonic blitzkrieg, as her resume of
hits quickly piled up: “Bad Reputation,” “Crimson and Clover,” “I Love
Rock’n’Roll,” “Cherry Bomb,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” “Do You
Want to Touch Me,” “Light of Day” and her driving reinterpretation of
“Love Is All Around,” the theme from the 1970s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also belted out Sinner
tracks including “Naked,” in which she was retying her bikini top’s
strap during the intro, and the political rant “Riddles,” with its
aural samplings of idiotic quotations from George Bush and Donald
Rumsfeld cranked up to 11. Jett’s nighttime show also featured an
encore, her flavorful version of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday
People.” 

Jett was having fun, make no mistake, as
an occasional smile would cross the face of the pixie with the
ferocious stage demeanor. And taking it all in backstage was the
familiar-to-locals tandem of Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin, as the Flashcubes
veterans (who performed a 6:30 p.m. Chevy Court set sandwiched between
Jett’s afternoon and evening gigs) enjoyed Professor Jett’s crash
course in the pure pleasures of power-punk rock.