In June, Pat Benatar will hit the road with REO Speedwagon. Pat, who hasn’t released an album since 2003, has plenty of songs to choose from in her catalog. One thing that is impressive about those tunes is that they’ve all stood the test of time. We asked Pat why she thinks that is. (Cut #3) “I don’t know. I mean, some of them are very stylized and are so particular to the era, and those are the ones that we sometimes leave out because I can’t even find any way to justify doing them. And I’m sure that happens to everybody but I have to say that most of them are okay, they hold up because the content of them is the same. What they’re about doesn’t change. You know, it’s the same story for everybody, all the time.” Pat’s tour with REO Speedwagon kicks off on June 24th in Connecticut

wo types of fans left the REO Speedwagon/Styx concert Friday night at the Kentucky Exposition Center's Freedom Hall: those who'll remember a great time and those who had a great time but won't remember it at all. REO Speedwagon, which played first on the split bill (the bands alternate positions nightly), delivered a high energy 13-song set of mostly hits that had the crowd at the two-thirds-full arena on its feet the entire time. Highlights included "Keep On Loving You," "Take It on the Run" and "Can't Fight this Feeling." "When I walk out on stage, I look out there at the crowd and I feel just such a sense of joy, and that I want to spread that joy around for four hours on a Friday night," Kevin Cronin, REO Speedwagon's frontman said when we spoke last week. "Let the people of Louisville forget their troubles, and revisit their youth, and get out there and have a party, and have a good time and we’ll provide the entertainment." No surprise, the 38-year rock knew his audience. The woman behind me who fell across two rows of seats during REO Speedwagon's set and was passed out on the shoulder of a friend (who was also passed out) during Styx's set? Safe bet she'd forgotten about whatever was ailing her Friday night. Those of us who were able to keep it together though had no less a fun time though, singing along to hits of our youth and maybe even making out. I skipped the beginning of Styx's set to attend the REO Speedwagon meet and greet (because that's how I roll). When I returned to my seat after chatting with Cronin and the band's road manager about such rock n'roll staples as finding babysitters and where to get a good hot brown in Louisville (because that's how I roll), many fans were sitting for the first time that night, which might be a result of their age as much is Styx's music being mellower than REO Speedwagon's. But as we all know, "Come Sail Away" cures all. Styx's signature song brought everyone to their feet, singing along Eric Cartman-style to the rock epic.

wo acts that were regulars on the charts in the early '80s, REO Speedwagon [ tickets ] and Pat Benatar [ tickets ], will join forces for a summer co-headlining tour dubbed "Love On The Run." Beginning June 24 in Uncasville, CT, the tour will hit the road for a slate of summer shows that so far includes 21 cities from coast to coast. The itinerary, which is currently scheduled to conclude Aug. 27 in Gilford, NH, will expand when additional tour stops are announced in the coming weeks, according to a press release. Edwin McCain and Keaton Simons will trade off providing opening support on the trek. "Both REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar share a history of hits, a family-oriented approach, and a continuing desire to rock hard and have fun doing it," REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin stated in a recent press release. "We embrace and take pride in our past achievements, while we are all about growing as artists and keeping our standards high. We intend to prove it every night on stage with the 'Love On The Run' tour." REO continues to support 2007's "Find Your Own Way Home," which marked the band's first collection of new material in more than a decade. The 10-track set, billed as a return to the power-ballad/melodic-rock-anthem glory days, has spawned the adult-contemporary hits "I Needed To Fall" and the title track. "Go," Benatar's most recent release and 12th studio effort, surfaced in 2003. The album peaked at No. 187 on The Billboard 200. Last summer, Benatar celebrated the 30th anniversary of her 1979 debut album, "In the Heat of the Night." The set received platinum certification in the US and its third single, "Heartbreaker," became Benatar's first radio hit, climbing to No. 23 on The Billboard Hot 100.