MORGANTOWN — Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo have created no shortage of hits together — “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Heartbreaker,” “We Live for Love,” “We Belong,” and “Promises in The Dark.” But Kristie Stewart-Gale bets the stories, as much as the songs themselves, will entertain the crowd Sunday, when the pair performs an acoustic show at 7:30 p.m. at the WVU Creative Arts Center.
“They share how they arrived at a particular song and their love affair is still very much alive and it’s touching to watch how they came up with a song,” said Stewart-Gale, of WVU Arts and Entertainment. “It’s just a great experience to see how they got there and it’s pretty cool to have that behind-the-scenes look.”
Benatar and Giraldo — a guitarist, producer, songwriter and arranger — met in 1979, and that same year “In the Heat of the Night” was recorded. The platinum album included “Heartbreaker” and the Giraldo-penned hit, “We Live For Love.”
They married in 1982 and have worked together consistently, selling over 30 million albums, and taking home four Grammy awards.
“Her voice is still excellent,” Stewart-Gale said of Benatar, a classically trained mezzo-soprano. “She doesn’t have to have a rock band behind her to still sound really, really good.”
Sunday’s concert marks the beginning of the University Arts Series. And while the time has passed to become a subscriber, tickets for the 13 shows that make up the series are still available, although some are going quickly.
Stewart said musicals are always a hit, and those considering checking out the “Wizard of Oz” on Oct. 28, “Jersey Boys” on March 27 and “Chicago” on April 22 should snag seats “sooner rather than later.”
Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” also sells out every year, with ticket sales typically picking up in November.
“Graham Nash isn’t coming until March, but he’s also pretty popular,” Stewart-Gale said.
The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee — with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and with the Hollies — is set to perform March 29.
Stewart said series subscribers are a little younger than in the past, on the lower end of the 45-65 range, which has influenced the musical selections organizers choose.
“They’re looking for music that’s a look-back for them,” she said of series patrons.
One surprise, though, Stewart-Gale added, is that even though artists haven’t been announced for the “Mountain Stage” shows on Jan. 20 and April 28, people still want to attend.
“It’s hard to get people to buy tickets when they don’t know who’s playing,” she said. “Usually, it’s all about that person who’s on stage, rather than the experience, but we’ve gotten over that hump with series regulars.
“We introduced ‘Mountain Stage’ to the series three or four years ago, and it’s a huge hit.”
Another change that Stewart-Gale anticipates will draw more people to consider subscribing is an upgrade in the ticketing platform. Now, potential subscribers have the option of using a payment plan.
“As long as people want to do it, we’ll continue to do it,” she said.
- Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the WVU Creative Arts Center. Tickets start at $54 for the general public and at $39 for WVU students. Tickets for this show, and others in the University Arts Series, are on sale at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 304-293-SHOW (7469) and 1-800-745-3000. WVU student discounted tickets are limited to one per valid WVU student ID or offer code. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 304-293-SHOW (7469).
