Joan Jett on Being Nervous When Jamming with Other Bands
Joan Jett is an absolute rock icon who’s been influencing musicians for decades. The last thing you’d expect her to be is nervous when it comes to jamming with other bands, but that’s not the case.
Jett recently called into WMMR’s Preston & Steve and when asked if she gets approached to jam when appearing on festival bills, she had this to say:
“I’m not a big jammer. I feel very uncomfortable. I’m one of these people that like to be very rehearsed. I’m not good with just walking out on stage [spontaneously.] It makes me very nervous. As much as I’d like to…I don’t get asked a lot, but the few times I do, it would be something like with the Foo Fighters and we’d rehearse things. Sometimes, I go out and just play with them. But times when I’ve played one of their songs or like the Nirvana stuff [when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame], I had to rehearse and go through it. I can’t just go out there and play it without practicing with them.”
Jett and The Blackhearts are playing two festivals this weekend: The MMR*B*Q in Camden, N.J. tomorrow (May 18) and the Sonic Temple Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday (May 19). After a run of solo headlining dates, the band teams up with Heart for a U.S. tour beginning July 26. A complete list of tour dates can be found at JoanJett.com.
This interview can be heard in its entirety below.
Erica Banas is rock/classic rock news blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.