They opened their set with a rocking instrumental version of “The Final Countdown.” “Are you ready to go back to the 80’s?” Jenna asked, as confetti burst out of the canyons. They immediately broke into “Working for the Weekend,” where Mark and Jenna sang lead, and it was followed by the infectious “Any Way You Want It” by Journey.
Mark was able to hold the high notes on The Outfield’s “Your Love” for quite a while, which was met with a raucous applause. “Are you ready to dance tonight?” Jenna asked, and went on to sing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” where she got the fans to wave their hands up in the air.
Chris delivered a refreshing version of Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” and he dressed accordingly for the part. He even interacted well with the female fans and went down in the crowd and danced with several of them.
They continued with their namesake song “Jessie’s Girl,” and Jenna dressed like Cyndi Lauper as she invited several lucky female fans on stage with her for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” “Bring it down for me ladies,” she said.
Chris returned with the male rebuttal for that song with “Take On Me.” “Guys can have fun too,” he told the crowd. Mark sang lead on Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” which he performed shirtless, while Jenna and Chris (sporing a Debbie Gibson T-shirt) underwent an outfit change for their “Time of My Life” duet from Dirty Dancing.
“Are you ready for another duet?” Mark asked, and he collaborated with Jenna on “Footloose.” Mark sang lead on “Centerfold” with their musical director “Sky” on keyboard and guitarist Eric Presti on backing vocals.
It was followed by a neat Madonna medley, where Jenna sang such hits as “Borderline,” “Material Girl,” which featured Mark and Chris shirtless, as well as “Like a Virgin” and “Like a Prayer.”
Chris and Mark noted that sometimes “boys and boys sing together” and there is some “man on man action.” At that point, both male vocalists sang Queens’ “Under Pressure,” tipping their hats to the late but great Freddie Mercury.
The band serenaded a rocking rendition of “Happy Birthday” to several fans, and Jenna inquired if they were “ready to rock a little harder.” She belted out Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker,” while Mark paid homage to Def Leppard with “Pour Some Sugar On Me.”
Chris dressed like David Coverdale as he covered Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.” Jenna sang Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” with Sky on keys, and she complimented the Paramount audience for singing along with her. “You guys sound so good,” she said.
For their New Jersey fan-base, which is the neighboring state, Jenna and Mark pleased all the Bon Jovi fans at The Paramount by singing “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Chris showed his hard rock and metal side on Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” They took their audience back to 1981 with “Video Killed the Radio Star,” which was the first music video aired on MTV. “Thank you for the support. You’re my hometown,” Jenna told The Paramount crowd. They closed with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and on an inspirational yet rocking note with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
The Verdict
Overall, Jessie’s Girl gets better and better every time they perform live. This marked their eighth career performance at The Paramount. There is always something new each time, due to their elaborate and lengthy set-list which always changes. They keep things fresh, and the audience has fun with them, as they reminisce about simpler times in the 80’s. Their show garnered 5 out of 5 stars.
