That voice has been a mainstay of radio since 1979. You know the powerful, yet feminine, operatically trained, but still rocking sound of Pat Benatar. Just think back to such hits as "Heartbreaker," "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and "Love Is A Battlefield" and you can't forget those vocal chords. Well, while she may not be achieving the same sort of media attention that she did in those days, Benatar has been anything but dormant, and she's bringing the voice and the songs to the Rockford On The Waterfront Festival.

Benatar shares the billing these days with Neil Giraldo, but he's no stranger, in fact he's been along for the entire ride. He was right there with her on that 1979 debut In The Heat of the Night, contributing his guitar playing and songwriting abilities. Over the years his role certainly expanded, as the two have been husband and wife since 1982 and parents since '85.  Through it all, though, they haven't lost their talent or passion for music.

Over the course of the '80's they released a seemingly endless stream of hits. It all started with "Heartbreaker" and "We Live For Love" from that debut disc, but that was far from the end. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." The hit machine seemed to be unstoppable firing off such recognizable numbers as "You Better Run," "Shadows of the Night," (that one won her her first Grammy) "We Belong," "All Fired Up" and "Invincible."

Not content to be saddled with just one musical style, in 1991 Benatar created the album True Love, which was a swing/torch song sort of collection. This was to be the start of something as the influx of inspired variety was continued with future releases and brought a new depth to the Pat Benatar catalog. Other releases have come since that have continued to allow Benatar and Giraldo to create vital, yet entertaining music.
 
Now they will be bringing that brand of music to the On The Waterfront festival. It is definitely a show not to be missed. Besides, how many chances in life do you get to hear a voice like that? What does all this mean? I'd say it means, "You Better Run" to make sure you catch this show.