Joan Jett and the Blackhearts performed at Luhrs Performing Arts Center Friday night, bringing 80 minutes of rock ‘n roll classics to Shippensburg.

Jett, who was born in Pennsylvania, is known for her rebellious image and for breaking barriers as one of the most influential women in rock. She co-founded the all-female punk-rock band The Runaways in 1975, a time when the rock genre was male-dominated. The Runaways broke up, and Jett pursued a solo music career before founding the Blackhearts in 1979.

The show opened with a punk-themed photo montage of Jett throughout her career, set to Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl.” As the song ended, Jett stepped on stage to perform “Change the World.” Dressed in all black with her signature winged eyeliner, she played guitar and sang with the gritty, iconic voice recognized from hits like “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Bad Reputation” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”

One of the night’s first moments of crowd participation occurred when Jett sang “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah).” Jett sang “Do you wanna touch?” and held out the microphone for the crowd to shout “Yeah!”

Jett sang covers from the Runaways, including the classic “Cherry Bomb” and “You Drive Me Wild,” and covers the band has recorded, like The Replacements’ “Androgynous” and Sly and The Family Stone’s “Everyday People.” Jett also sang the theme song, written by Bruce Springsteen, of the 1987 film “Light of Day” she starred in with Michael J. Fox.

Between songs, the Blackhearts producer and band member Kenny Laguna shared how their first radio success was met with criticism for featuring a female lead in an otherwise all-male band. In response, they wrote “Fake Friends,” which they performed following the story.

The crowd cheered and stood as soon as they heard the first few notes of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The energy continued to build through the finale, as the Blackhearts performed “Bad Reputation,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and their cover of Tommy James & The Shondells’ “Crimson and Clover.”

Between the stage visuals, the crowd’s enthusiasm and the band’s performance, this was one of my favorite performances I have attended at Luhrs. Although the 80-minute showtime was perfect, I wish I could “put another dime in the jukebox” and experience it all over again.

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