Joan Jett must have felt right at home Friday night on the Iron City Stage.

The newish concert venue, nestled between the Allegheny River and Pittsburgh Brewing Co.’s Creighton facility, with railroad tracks running behind that, apparently sparked some childhood memories for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

“I grew up here for about six years when I was a little kid,” Jett, a Philadelphia native, told Friday’s crowd. “I lived across the river, down south just a little bit in Pittsburgh. Maytide Street. And man, when I hear the train go by, it does something inside. You remember that from being a little kid. It was just the soundtrack to my childhood.”

While trains may have triggered thoughts of her own youth, a good chunk of the songs Friday served as a 1970s and ’80s soundtrack for many in the audience. Over the course of an hour and 15 minutes, Jett paid tribute to her 1970s roots, her radio/MTV hits of the 1980s, a dash of covers and more recent songs, including a few from the 2020s.

With temperatures dropping into the 70s, it proved to be an enjoyable evening, whether it was from lawn chairs in the grass or from the group of boats anchored in the nearby river. Dressed all in black and wearing amber sunglasses despite the sun having set a half hour before she played, Jett and her raspy, gritty voice were joined by the Blackhearts — guitarist Dougie Needles, bassist Hal B. Selzer and drummer Michael McDermott.

With the stuttering “Cherry Bomb” and “You Drive Me Wild” — the first song Jett wrote — the 66-year-old honored her first band, the pioneering all-female group, The Runaways.

The covers included some of her biggest hits: “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by The Arrows, “Crimson & Clover” by Tommy James & the Shondells and “Light of Day” by Bruce Springsteen.

Credit “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” for prompting the most phone videos as well as a big singalong, joining Gary Glitter’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” and “Crimson & Clover” for enthusiastic crowd participation.

Another pair of covers — a grooving “Everyday People” by Sly & the Family Stone and a country-swinging “Androgynous” by The Replacements — felt more personal for Jett, as she noted about the Replacements’ song: “I just really relate to these words.” (Normally a rhythm guitarist, Jett also added a quick guitar solo on “Everyday People.”) Her 2013 track “Different” could belong here too, as she said it was for those don’t always fit in.

On the newer music front, both “(Make the Music Go) Boom” and “If You’re Blue” — both from 2023’s “Mindsets” EP — were high-energy. Solo highlights from Jett included the show-opening “Victim of Circumstance,” the punk blast of “Change the World” and a rocking “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”

After closing with “Bad Reputation,” Jett offered a “thanks, yinz!” to appropriately close her trip down memory lane — for her and the crowd.

Glam metal band Winger opened for Jett, with a 70-minute set only five minutes shorter than the headliner. The oft-maligned band — Beavis & Butt-Head really had it in for them — showed off their strengths, blending good-times rock with power ballads.

The long-running band features all four original members — “not one lawsuit,” bassist Kip Winger quipped — including Pittsburgh native Reb Beach, a Fox Chapel graduate, on guitar.

“I don’t know what you guys have in the water here,” Winger said, “but when you grew Reb, when he was drinking the water here, he came up with so many good riffs over our career, it’s unbelievable.”

Among those riffs was what became “17” — the band’s 1988 hit song that probably wouldn’t fly lyrically if it were written nowadays.

• Code Orange's Reba Meyers on going solo with 'Clouded World EP,' tour: "It's very rewarding' • Styx's Lawrence Gowan on upholding band's legacy while moving forward with new music • 2025 Pittsburgh area concert calendar

With an extremely animated style, Beach shredded, showing off finger tapping and whammy bar on his guitar solo, and ripping off another pair of solos on “Headed for a Heartbreak.”

Other highlights included “Down Incognito” and their biggest power ballad “Miles Away,” which was written by keyboardist/guitarist Paul Taylor.

“I met Paul back in (1985 or 1986) where we both joined Alice Cooper and drank a glass of blood every day and went out with the maestro, Alice,” Winger joked. “But way before that, Paul was sitting in his lonely old hotel room, breaking up with his girlfriend, and he wrote the biggest hit we did.”

The quintet closed with “Madalaine,” with all the guitarists getting a moment in the spotlight.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)