Joan Jett cheers on Orioles at Tropicana Field ahead of Tampa concert
ST. PETERSBURG — Joan Jett doesn’t care about her bad reputation, but the rock legend does care a lot about the Orioles.
She attended Wednesday’s game against the Rays at Tropicana Field ahead of her evening concert at Amalie Arena. Jett, who grew up an Orioles fan, watched from the first row above the visitors dugout, clapping throughout the game and leaping out of her seat after a Ramon Urias home run in the third inning.
Jett said she felt the game’s early start time was a sign from the universe telling her to go.
“Usually, the game would be at night and there would be no chance for me to come,” Jett said. “(When) the game is 12:10, I kind of have to do it. The baseball gods are saying, ‘Here you go.’ "
Jett planned to stay for a few innings before going to Amalie Arena for her sound check. The 64-year-old is spending the summer touring the United States with Bryan Adams. She and her band, the Blackhearts, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
Jett was born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, and lived in Rockville, Maryland, before her family moved to the Los Angeles area. She attended Orioles games with her father and has been spotted at several over the years.
In 2012, the Baltimore Sun reported that she wrote a letter to the postseason-bound Orioles telling them about her experience witnessing a Jim Palmer no-hitter against the A’s at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore in August 1969.
Jett is no stranger to Tropicana Field, either. She threw out the first pitch at a Rays-Blue Jays matchup in July 2014 and performed a free concert after the game.
Contact Charlotte Varnes at cvarnes@tampabay.com.
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