Pat Benatar Rocks Old Town Fort Collins [GALLERY]

Pat Benatar didn't have to wait long to have the NewWestFest crowd rocking.

After a tribute video that let us in on the history between her and Neil Giraldo, she got right to it.

She sang Shadows of the Night, and just about everyone else did, too. While I was shooting this gallery, I looked over and saw a woman at least half my age who knew the words as well as I did.

The crowd was huge! Much bigger, it seemed than last year's show with Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite. I'm sure the fact that she's had a half dozen major hits, another 4 or 5 that played a lot on radio and MTV when they were released, and still numerous songs that we still play on TRI 102.5 (as do other stations around America) makes the difference.

It was also what caused the crowd to reach capacity before the show started. People couldn't go past the gates at 8:25 p.m. There were just too many people.

That's what happens when such a huge act comes to Fort Collins. Fort Collins (and Northern Colorado) comes out to see.

Thanks, Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest, for a great show!