Photos and Review by David Kasiorek
Lita Ford came to rock Jergel’s again on the first stop of her fall tour. Opening acts were local Pittsburgh bands, the talented Nash.v.ill with their unique spin on mixing soul, jazz, r n b while making it sound heavy and rock n roll followed by Stereo Scandal with their rebellious punk rock.
Right before 10pm it was time for Lita Ford to take stage opening with classic rocker “Gotta Let Go” and “Larger Than Life” before going into a couple more recent songs off of the “Living Like a Runaway” album. Next on the docket was a few sing along anthems “Playing with Fire” and “Back in the Cave” which also saw extended bass / guitar solos and lots of crowd interaction. A fired up Lita could be heard yelling out her infamous “Yeah Baby!” as the crowd returned the love for her timeless rock n roll on numerous occasions. Next up was Lita’s ode to the thrash scene with “Can’t Catch Me” following an absolute obliterating drum solo by the one and only Bobby Rock, who loves to play the light rack at Jergel’s as part of his moment to add some extra fire. Lita talked about her love to play at Jergel’s and the intimate feel of the venue – like a backyard party – before launching into a trio of covers “Cherry Bomb” (originally done by The Runaways, Lita’s first band), “Black Leather” (Sex Pistols) and “Only Women Bleed” (Alice Cooper). As the night was coming to an end it was time to honor the late and great Ozzy Osbourne (lighting the room with cellphones) who helped propel Lita’s solo career with the next song “Close My Eyes Forever” a mega hit ballad and duet with dueling guitars and heavy melody. The show closed out with “Kiss Me Deadly”.
This was my second time seeing and doing pics of Lita Ford in a years time but the energy of her show is one that you can see again and again. With the rock anthems, guitar harmonizing and fun ways for the crowd to interact you just can’t go wrong with a Lita Ford show and the celebration of 80s metal.