Jessica Simpson delivers soaring set at Women Who Rock benefit concert

On Friday night, a sold-out crowd assembled at Stage AE on the North Shore to raise money for women’s health — and to celebrate women in music. And Jessica Simpson’s return to music is certainly worth celebrating.

The longtime pop star took an extended break from the studio and stage, last releasing songs and performing 15 years ago before her triumphant return earlier this year. But 2025 has been a year of renewal for Simpson, who put out two EPs in the pas six months — one on Friday, in fact.

So not only was the annual Women Who Rock benefit concert an opportunity to raise funds for Magee-Womens Health Institute and their vital research, it was also “like an EP release party,” as Simpson put it.

While the headliner was no doubt a draw, the event boasted other highlights as well.

Women Who Rock is an organization dedicated to empowering women in music and funding women’s health research. They have hosted benefit concerts in Pittsburgh going back to 2017, featuring headliners including Sheila E., Jordin Sparks and Melissa Etheridge.

Emcee for the night Kelly Dzanaj, on-air personality at Star 100.7 FM, took the stage with energy. “We are so excited today to raise some very, very critical funds for women’s health research,” she said.

One of the ways that Women Who Rock boosts female musicians is through their Rising Star Contest. This year’s winner is Talie, an indie pop singer whose performance was ethereal and impressive.

This year’s Impact Award recipient was Kiya Tomlin, a fashion designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and wife of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “I’m accepting this award in the name of all of the women who have lifted me up, as well as the women whose stories inspire me every day,” she said.

Local folk pop band Buffalo Rose really got the party started with a breezy set of intricately-orchestrated, fast-paced tunes. Their song “Solid Ground,” which was released earlier this year, really shone with sincere lyrics, powerful harmonies and complex layers of instrumentation.

But a real highlight was another Friday release: Buffalo Rose’s cover of Cake’s “Short Skirt, Long Jacket,” which was performed with impeccable attitude and garnered lots of audience participation.

The crowd let out thunderous cheers when headliner Jessica Simpson took the stage in a puffy-sleeved jacket. The singer/actress/businesswoman has been in the spotlight since her teen years, part of the late-90s wave of pop divas. But her new music reflects a new maturity — and a more old-fashioned sound.

She played all of the songs from her two “Nashville Canyon” EPs, Pt. 1 of which released in March. These new songs undulated between heartbreak and self-discovery, from the airy “Fade” to the heart-rending “Breadcrumbs.”

“I’m back onstage, which is just a surreal thing,” she said. She’s now an independent artist, which she said allows her the freedom to make the music she wants. “Once I took my power back, my soul was set on fire. So thank you guys so much for welcoming me to Pittsburgh and for having me back to sing.”

Simpson has always been an impressive singer, going back to her earliest single, 1999 ballad “I Wanna Love You Forever.” She sang a verse of it on Friday night — followed by a verse of Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” — and sounded just as strong as ever. She mostly kept away from her older music, but a few made their way onto the setlist — she also sang a verse of 2001 hit “Irresistible” that sounded much better with a live band than its original early-aughts overproduction. Thrown in was 2008 song “Come On Over,” which is pure pop country fun. Simpson said that she hadn’t sang the song since she was on tour with Rascal Flatts more than a decade and a half ago.

She also closed with a soaring cover of Robbie Williams’ “Angels,” which she recorded for her 2003 album “In This Skin.”

And, of course, meeting halfway between the pop of yesteryear and the country of today was her rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” which was originally recorded for the 2005 “The Dukes of Hazzard” film. That version was always a little odd, but hearing her sing it live with the same smoldering breathiness — but this time backed by live musicians and a different take on the original song’s arrangement — it was a treat.

“Got to thank Nancy Sinatra for that,” she said. “She actually slid into my DMs and told me she loved my EP. How cool is that?”

Simpson was introspective throughout the night, infusing real passion into angrier songs such as “Your Apology.” But she was also here for some fun, as with the sultrier new songs “Hopeless Romance,” which felt like a cross between older country and ’90s alt rock, and “Savage,” which could have been an early James Bond film theme.

Before closing with “Angels,” she sang a faithful and charming cover of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” after saying that she loved to sing it. “This is my parents’ song,” she said.

The two new EPs may play into the current trend of pop artists running to Nashville, but Simpson’s sincerity makes the move authentic, and her vocals sound pitch perfect with a tad of twang.

Women Who Rock is very much an organization about empowerment, and it was great to see a talented pop icon finding her power, her name and her voice anew after such a long break.