Buzzbox

It’s been a while since anyone has buzzed about Pat Benatar, and her official Web site admits as much — its top entry in the “News” section boasts, “the song that everyone was singing as the L.A. Lakers won the [2000] championship on Monday night was none other than Pat Benatar’s hit ‘All Fired Up.'” But Benatar’s activities haven’t been limited to last year’s sports-arena fodder, even if she hasn’t let her Webmaster in on the secret. She recently completed a digital video book, titled Summer Vacation, that documents her tour of the same name with husband/producer/collaborator Neil Giraldo. Featuring four new songs and rocking-chair acoustic versions of “We Belong” and “Love Is a Battlefield,” this DVD is more than just a visual version of the greatest-hits album Benatar has released on disc so many times. (Her most recent collection is the unnecessarily comprehensive Synchronistic Wanderings). Part of the fun of watching Benatar in her prime was seeing a confident woman strike macho poses that put her hair-metal contemporaries to shame, but now that she’s on a tour that’s essentially an extended honeymoon, she probably won’t be in any mood to curl her lip and wave her fists menacingly. However, as a classically trained singer, the erstwhile tough girl born Pat Andrzejewski has taken loving care of her voice, meaning she’ll still be able to hit eager fans with her best shot. And for anyone who really misses the posturing, have no fear: Night Ranger is also on the bill. That group’s bassist/singer, Jack Blades, learned from Ted Nugent himself during his stint in Damn Yankees, ensuring that showy guitar solos and toasts to living the high life will flow like deer blood.