Joan Jett at the China Club, New York City, Jan. 30, 2003. Photo by Jeanne Fury © 2003 NY Rock.

January 30, 2003, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts played a show at the China Club in New York City to benefit World Hunger Year, an organization co-founded by radio-talk-show host Bill Ayres and the late singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. The show was sponsored by the radio station 95.5 WPLJ, which devotes airtime to the '80s. And who doesn't love the '80s? Certainly not this crowd, replete with lawng-eyelinders (people from Long Island) and Jersey girls. Nasally voices abound. Seventy percent of the men were balding. These people were clearly stricken with a strain of the '80s virus that prevents you from shaking off 100 percent of the effects of that decade. There was at least one retro element that you could point out on almost every person: faint traces of mullets (some people just don't wanna part with them), black blazers with shoulder pads (no, I'm not kidding), super-tight faded jeans, teased hair, and, in severe cases, blue eye shadow (yes, I'm serious).

But the'80s weren't entirely uncool. The Blackhearts made some of the best music of that decade, adhering to the classic groovitude of Chuck Berry and Little Richard while simultaneously breathing new life into the bad-ass glam rock of the New York Dolls and Gary Glitter. No one embodied the music's spirit of rebellion and sexiness like Joan Jett. Aside from writing impeccable original material, she has the priceless ability to cover other peoples' songs and turn them into bona-fide hits. She may not have written "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," but she owns it. Jett delivered these hits like a stinging spank on the ass. And I bent over for every single one, crying "Hit me baby, one more time!"

Onstage at the dark, swank China Club, Bill Ayres said while we know Joan Jett is one of the greatest performers in rock, she's also one of the most generous. In addition to her commitment to the World Hunger Year, last September, Jett traveled to Afghanistan to play a show for the U.S. troops that participated in Operation Enduring Freedom.

When Jett bound onto the stage, the screams of fans were shrill enough to peel paint from the walls. With closely cropped, bleached hair, dark, shimmering eye shadow, black eyeliner, and tattoos peeking out of a red latex tank top, she was, to put it mildly, sex on a stick. There was not a flaccid individual in the house. It was like Yankee Bat Day at the China Club. We were ready to get it on, and so was she.

The Blackhearts' lineup has changed over the years, but Jett's voice -- a prowling, sexy shout, a throat coated in chrome -- and her deft command of the rhythm guitar haven't tarnished a bit. The band currently includes Jett's longtime collaborator Kenny Laguna (keyboards/vocals), Doug E. Needles (lead guitar), Sammy Finn (bass), and Thommy Price (drums). As they burned through songs like "Victim of Circumstance," "Cherry Bomb," and "Light of Day," the audience howled the lyrics, word for word. We were members of the unofficial Blackhearts choir. Jett kept her eyes either on the neck of her guitar or squeezed shut, wrenching out every syllable through her sinfully gorgeous mouth. (She is the owner of a flawless set of teeth, by the way.) She'd also look out in the crowd with bulging brown eyes, and at times, it felt like she was singing along with us. Weird. It's that whole dominant/submissive thing that she does so well.

So, about the music. Aside from the Blackhearts' notorious hits, they also played "100 Feet Away," "Love Is Pain," "Androgynous," and a new song "The Sweet Life," written by Jett and Laguna for Jett's role in an upcoming film of the same name. Fans devoured the snarling, taunting guitar on "Bad Reputation" and the soft torture of "Crimson and Clover." At the first sign of the Gary Glitter cover, "Do You Wanna Touch Me," all you could hear was a hypnotized crowd bellowing out the chorus of "Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah." When it came time for "Roadrunner," it was hilarious to see big, balding men screaming "I'm in touch with the modern world! I'm in touch, I'm a modern girl!" at the tops of their lungs. And it's doubtful that anything could equal partaking in a sing-along of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" with Jett and over 1,000 tightly packed people. After sweating through the set, the Blackhearts came back onstage to do an encore of three cover songs: "Science Fiction," "Real Wild Child," and "Everyday People."

Oddly enough, for songs that emerged two decades ago, they didn't generate a lick of nostalgic pining. Obviously, some of the audience members weren't aware the '80s were in fact over. The music was so balls-out vigorous and Jett was the perfect conduit, it didn't feel like anything was missing from the experience. From the looks of things, Jett is not going to put down her Gibson and retire her "Ow!" anytime soon. Her minions of rock-n-roll fans can continue to revel in and witness the glorious results of a misspent youth.