Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo: Their 35th Anniversary Tour rocks on
Party on, Pat. And party on, Neil.
Last year, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo kicked off their 35th Anniversary Tour. This summer, the husband-and-wife rockers will make their latest stop at the OC Fair — and the “35th Anniversary” logo still factors prominently on the venue’s website, albeit with the word “Continues” alongside it in red.
Shouldn’t that be 36th by now? Logically, yes. But if Bob Dylan’s ongoing performance schedule can be referred to as the Never Ending Tour, then surely Benatar and Giraldo can stretch one year into two or more.
“It certainly doesn’t feel like it ever ended,” Benatar said last week by email. “We’ve been celebrating for over a year.”
In between dates on a jaunt through California, vocalist Benatar and guitarist Giraldo — whose hits include “Heartbreaker,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Love Is a Battlefield” — sat down for an email interview with the Daily Pilot. The following are excerpts:
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What are the most exciting parts of celebrating 35 years for you?
Benatar: We’ve toured consistently for the past 18 years — every summer, and on and off throughout the year. This current tour is one big party! It encompasses our retro hits as well as obscure songs that are rarely played. We’ll be adding one or two new songs that we haven’t recorded yet.
Giraldo: Being able to continue to see our audience change and grow with us. We are not the same people we were 35 years ago — we have grown as well. Having an extensive catalog to choose songs from makes things nice.
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How similar is the music business now to when you started out?
Benatar: So much has changed, all for the better. The control and accessibility of an artist’s music is in the hands of the artist, as it should be. No more middle man — which is a beautiful thing. An artist can choose how much or how little outside involvement they want. The stranglehold the big record companies once had has eroded.
Giraldo: Well, it always comes down to talent, songs, hard work, determination, willingness to be flexible, so you need to have those things going for you first. In today’s world, social media, YouTube, SoundCloud, etc. create a lot of great opportunities for new acts to be heard. That wasn’t around when we started. But what I’ve always believed was that it didn’t matter where you are, what part of the country you came from. If you have the talent, and all those things I mentioned earlier line up, you will be seen, discovered and given the opportunity to be heard.
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You’ve played at the OC Fair a number of times in the past, including last year. What do you enjoy most about playing there?
Benatar: The audience that comes to this venue is always amazing. They come ready to rock and have fun. And how can you beat playing outdoors on a beautiful California night?
Giraldo: Great venue — everyone in the audience has a great seat. Nice people working the venue. The crowds are always fantastic. It feels like home.
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Can attendees expect anything different from your show last summer?
Benatar: Yes! The song list is different. We add two songs nightly from a 10-song list that we had everyone vote on in the spring. We asked everyone to choose 10 songs they’d like to see added to the “Holy 14,” which are the 14 songs we must play every time we play. The fans are really enjoying this. We are, too. It’s great to play some of the more obscure songs.
Giraldo: Yes, songs are being put in and taken out of our set per night. We will be on the stage for at least two hours or more, and you never know what surprise will be in store!
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IF YOU GO
What: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, plus “Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx”
Where: Pacific Amphitheatre, OC Fair & Event Center, 100 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa
When: 7 p.m. Aug. 6
Cost: $31.78 to $46.95
Information: (714) 708-1500 or www.pacamp.com/pa