Benatar gets the Crowd “All Fired Up” with her “Crimes of Passion!”

BY ELISA TAYLOR

Pat Benatar rocked out Empire City Casinos Summer Concert Series on August 12, opening up with one of her most popular songs “All Fired Up” the 1988 hit which includes the famous chorus “Now I believe there comes a time when everything just falls in line, we live and learn from our mistakes.”

Really Pat? While the sold out crowd of over 1,000 (venue’s capacity) was immediately captivated and seemingly fired up, the fire was quickly extinguished with Benatar’s comments following the song.

She apparently felt embarrassed to perform at such a small venue and went out of her way to let the crowd know that she was there as a result of the Casinos request and a one day opening from her important tour with “Journey’ and others. Benatar, a native New Yorker, should have taken pride in performing for the Yonkers, NY crowd, the very people who supported and helped pave the way for her very successful career.

She could have easily used this opportunity to embrace the humble crowd and simply state that she was happy to perform at this small venue “to give back to the people of New York.” A simple thank you would have went a long way. I can only hope that she “lives and learns from” this mistake.

Benatar quickly rebounded with her amazing vocals and a great selection of her top hits including “Love is a Battlefield,” “Promises in the Dark” and one of my personal favorites “Hell is For Children,” which was inspired by stories of child abuse that Benatar said she could not ignore.

Empire City Casinos Summer Concert Series was pulled together by casino management as a result of patron requests. The makeshift, outdoor venue is small and gives you an up-close and personal feel no matter where your seats are located. Empire City has one more more show this summer, Sara Evans on August 26. I give this venue thumbs up and look forward to attending future performances.

Visit Empire City Casino at 810 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers, N.Y. 10704. For information, call (914) 968-4200. Tickets for the shows run $22.50 – $50 and can be purchased online at the Empire Casino site, www.empirecitycasino.com.

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