Rock n roll has always been a male dominated genre of music through history. During the late 1970’s a series of strong powerful female musicians looked to change that conception with the all female band The Runaways. The band had a list of female rockers gracing their line-up over the years including Joan Jett, Sandy West, Micki Steele, Lita Ford, Peggy Foster, Cherie Currie, Jackie Fox, Vicki Blue, and Laurie McAllister. Although the band only lasted 4 years, the impact they had on rock n roll was epic to the point many would say that the genre was changed forever; erasing the idea that rock n roll bands are men and ushering in a new era, where women are looked at as just as dominating rockers as men. Former lead vocalist Cherie Currie has remained active over the years, most recently touring the USA in August and a handful of dates here in the tri-state New York area in November. On Friday November 8th, a packed house of fans gathered at Revolution in Amityville, NY to see Cherie Currie rock out.
The crowd at Revolution extended to all ages and was dominated by a strong female presence, which came to pay respect to a woman of rock n roll history. The evening was that much more special with Joan Jett herself in attendance. Jett sat in the VIP section to watch Currie perform to the packed crowd. With a cool rock vibe going, Currie hit the stage to roaring cheers. She opened things up with The Runaways tracks “Queen of Noise” and “California Paradise”. The tracks filled the room with a raw rock n roll energy which you could feel in your chest. Currie’s voice was strong and she grooved on the stage. She went through her set including a cover of Velvet Underground’s “Rock N Roll”. Currie dedicated the track to the late great Lou Reed which received a round of applause. The rest of the set included a list of solo tracks and more The Runaway tracks balancing things out well. The crowd was more than pleased with the mix of songs Currie performed through her set and really took fans down memory lane. Her band sounded tight and provided a good amount of energy to add to the performance.
Keeping things rich in rock history, Currie did a cover of the Tommy James And The Shondells track “Draggin’ the Line”. The song sounded better than ever and really fit into the set nicely. Her 12 song set closed out with The Runaways track “American Nights”. This was clearly not the end as in most rock shows Currie came back out to a screaming room to perform the legendary The Runaways track “Cherry Bomb”. The song ignited more singing along than any track before it and could be best described as a good time. Excitement levels were at peak levels and the evening closed out with a cover of the classic David Bowie track “Rebel, Rebel”.
Cherie Currie controlled the evening with sheer grace; from the moment she took the stage until closing time at Revolution, staying to sign autographs and take photos with fans. This was an evening in rock n roll history, and if you were lucky enough to attend it’s surely something you will never forget.
