Dream Setlist: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

25 songs for the perfect night by rock legends Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

This dream setlist is from Lee Edlund, a patron of Stuck in the ’80s. Find out more about our Patreon program here.

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are 2022 inductees into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame but always travel with one or more other acts. I was not a real concert-goer until my adult years, but I have every album Pat Benatar ever released, most of them originally purchased on the date of release.

After a couple of near misses throughout the years, I finally saw them during their 35th anniversary tour in 2015. I saw them again last year and delighted in their selection of deeper cuts. While my wife and the two other couples attending with us puzzled over several songs they’d never heard, I was up, dancing and singing along to every word.

Pat and Neil are typically good for about 80-90 minutes on the stage, so you won’t likely hear more than 15 songs at any given concert. So, if this is truly a dream setlist, then I’m going to drop the openers and make them perform for two hours and 45 minutes … and I’m probably still left wanting more. Following Steve’s lead with his Billy Joel dream setlist, here are 25 songs (20 in the first set, with five encores).

Pat Benator and Neil Giraldo Dream Setlist:

Treat Me Right: 1981’s “Crimes of Passion” may not be Pat’s favorite album, but it was an iconic force of nature (and almost every song belongs on this setlist, but I’ll settle for four). This song got the album (and her 2001 summer concert tour that was recorded for a live album) off to a rocking good start.

Fire and Ice: This song is a great slow burn. She hasn’t performed it live in years so it would definitely be a dream to have it on the setlist.

All Fired Up: Her last true hit was from “Wide Awake In Dreamland.” She’s been leading off with this one lately. It’s a must.

Don’t Walk Away: This is a dream setlist, right? So if the sky is the limit, then I need to include this personal favorite (also from “Wide Awake In Dreamland”).

True Love: Her 1991 blues album was ambitious. I consider it to be more impressive than enjoyable, but this title track smolders.

We Live For Love: This song really shows off her range and opera training. This song must be one of her favorites because it’s always included.

Only You: When she does perform a song from 1998’s “Innamorata,” it’s either “Strawberry Wine” or “River Of Love,” but I would love to see this one get the live treatment.

Go: A return to form from her 2003 album of the same name.

Sex As A Weapon: I’m always pleasantly surprised to see this on her setlist. This was an underrated song and a ridiculous video. But it still rocks…and Neil shreds on guitar.

Little Too Late: In my opinion, her 1982 album “Get Nervous” doesn’t get enough love. I wouldn’t mind hearing her perform it in its entirety, but I would gladly settle for two songs.

Sometimes The Good Guys Finish First: In my opinion, Pat’s soundtrack work is under appreciated. If it were left up to me, then this track from “The Secret Of My Success” would be one of several movie songs.

Promises In The Dark: Pat and Neil are particularly proud of this ballad that explodes into a rocker. It’s always included.

Hell Is For Children: Another favorite of Pat and Neil. This one tackles the issue of child abuse. It would never be excluded nor should it, so any setlist (dream or otherwise) must include it.

Somebody’s Baby: No, not the Jackson Browne song of the same name. This track about homelessness (from 1993’s mostly forgotten album “Gravity’s Rainbow”) seems even more relevant today.

We Belong: 1984’s “Tropico” was a departure for Pat … a kinder, gentler album during her first pregnancy. This massive hit ages well and sounds great live.

Invincible: Her last Top 10 hit, a classic from the underrated album “Seven The Hard Way” and from the forgettable movie “The Legend Of Billie Jean.”

Dancing Through The Wreckage: In 2017, Pat enjoyed a bit of a renaissance when this track (from the documentary “Served Like A Girl”) peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Shadows Of The Night: A personal favorite from “Get Nervous” and, according to my 22-year-old son, a popular favorite when he and his buddies partake in karaoke.

You Better Run: The second video ever played on MTV. If we’re lucky (and we ought to be since this is a dream setlist), then Neil will play a sample of “Jessie’s Girl” (he played guitar and bass for Rick Springfield on “Working Class Dog”) as he sometimes does before this song is played.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Pat stopped playing this song live after a string of school shootings. I appreciate the sentiment, but it seems a little disingenuous. First, those clearly aren’t the types of “shots” about which she is singing. Second, she has a love-hate relationship with this song and sometimes used to exclude it from her setlists even when she didn’t have a convenient excuse.

ENCORES

Love Is A Battlefield: I distinctly remember the world premiere of this video on MTV. It was an instant classic and is still a mainstay on Sirius XM’s 80s on 8 and every other ’80s radio station across the country.

Rescue Me: Pat blew the barn doors off of this cover (of the Fontella Bass classic) from the 1994 “Speed” soundtrack. I’d love to hear it live, but I’m not holding my breath.

Helter Skelter: Another cover. This one is Pat’s version of the rocker by The Beatles as featured on 1981’s “Precious Time.” It is often played as the first song in her trifecta encore.

Everybody Lay Down: For the past couple years, when Pat and Neil play a full set with a 3-song encore, they end with these same three songs so who am I to argue?

Heartbreaker/Ring Of Fire: This is almost always Pat’s final word. The song that began it all mashed up with the Johnny Cash classic (and sometimes a sample of Led Zeppelin’s own “Heartbreaker”). It’s hard to imagine a Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo performance that wouldn’t end on this particular note.

Wikipedia photo by: Terwilliger911