Awhile back, I wrote a blog about a trip my wife and I took to the New River Valley, combined with a review of a Tom Kiefer Band show we saw in Roanoke on the same trip. I called it a 2 for 1, so in keeping with that, here’s another…
There is a horse racing facility and casino in Charleston, West Virginia—The Charleston Races and Hollywood Casino. Inside the casino there are multiple restaurants and an event center. My wife and I have noticed some fairly decent bands playing at the venue, but until now, we never pulled the trigger and bought any tickets. Well, on September 8, 2023, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers Joan Jett & the Blackhearts made a tour stop in Charleston and we decided we had to see Joan one more time. I had seen the band twice before, but way back in the day. I saw them play a tiny club in Bethesday, MD called the Psyche Delly right as the debut record Bad Reputation was released. I also saw them at a slightly larger theater in D.C. on the I Love Rock ‘n Roll tour. Both of those were a long time ago. My wife saw them at Wolf Trap in VA a few years ago and could attest to the fact that they still sound great, so we started planning our road trip.
We left Friday afternoon (nothing better than ditching work at lunchtime on a Friday to head out on an adventure), the day of the show. Our drive on the back roads through Delaplane, Millwood and Berryville, VA was beautiful. After crossing into West Virginia it was only a short drive to the Inn at Charleston, which is just down the road from the Hollywood Casino. We checked in, sipped on a bottle of cava and then grabbed the free shuttle to check out the casino and perhaps gamble a little bit. Now is where I must explain that I do not gamble. I have no tolerance for risk when it comes to my hard-earned money. As such, we had no idea what we were doing at all. The thing about Hollywood Casino is that it is an endless sea of slot machines and only a couple of blackjack tables and roulette games. That was fine, as we fed about four different machines a grand total of $18.00. We left one machine while we were ahead but ended with a total of $0. Time for dinner.
After eating a great meal of a very rare tuna appetizer, scallops for my wife and swordfish for me, finished off with the largest piece of key lime pie I have ever seen (good thing we shared it) we checked out the racetrack (no racing going on) and then went to the venue. It was smaller than we thought. We had great seats toward the back on a raised tier of seating. That turned out well because those on the floor all stood, even though they had seats, and we were able to see over everyone. I was mildly disappointed that there was no opening act, but Joan and the boys were anything but disappointing. I was pretty happy with the setlist. It was lengthy and covered many of my favorites. There were about 20 songs played, and amongst them were the following, my ten favorites of the night:
Cherry Bomb
Do You Wanna Touch Me
Victim of Circumstance
Light of Day (From the movie Joan did with Michael J. Fox, classic!)
Fake Friends
Androgynous (Replacements cover- I enjoyed this and had forgotten they actually recorded this song.)
I Love Rock ‘n Roll
Crimson and Clover
I Hate Myself for Loving You
Bad Reputation
Joan Jett rocking at Hollywood Casino in West Virginia (Disclaimer: not my photos, thanks internet)
After the show, we went back into the casino area and each of us had a nightcap before returning to the Inn for much needed rest.
We woke up Saturday morning just in time to shower and go get our free continental breakfast before it closed at 10:00. After that, we checked out and headed for the second part of our road trip, which was to the historic town of Haper’s Ferry, WV. It was very close by, and though we had been warned to park at the visitor center and take a shuttle into the beautiful town, we opted to take a chance and see if we could grab one of the very few, highly coveted parking spots near the depot. Score! We got the last spot that was anywhere around, and we were set. We immediately walked over to “The Point” where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet. The confluence is also at a point where VA, MD and WV all have a mutual border point. Two mighty rivers and three states all in a single photograph:
THE POINT - MD top left, VA top right, WV bottom, the Potomac left and straight ahead, the Shenandoah right
After marveling at the Point and venturing out over the water on a long walking bridge, we visited all the little shops and read a bunch of historic markers where I learned all about John Brown’s Raid. I might have learned about it back in high school, but if so, it was good to get my memory refreshed. If you don’t know, John Brown was an abolitionist who led a raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859 in an attempt to initiate a slave revolt. He was defeated. The Civil War soon followed. We also checked out St. Peters Roman Catholic Church high on a hill in the town which was beautiful. We ended with lunch at Coach House Bar & Grill (Coach’s). The food was simple but spectacular—a grilled turkey, brie and spinach wrap for me, and an oven roasted turkey and gruyere cheese panini for my wife. Both had an amazing chipotle aoli. As badly as I wanted to try a local ale, it was early in the afternoon and we had a couple of hours drive home still to come.
Walking bridge over the Potomac River
Looking down the main road into historic Harper’s Ferry, WV
St. Peters Roman Catholic Church
Overall, it was a brilliant way to spend a weekend, although between the casino dinner and drink prices, the overnight stay and the tickets to the show, not to mention the pet-sitting of our rescue dog Holden at home, we dropped a major load of debt onto the credit card. Harper’s Ferry was cheap by comparison, even if I did buy a t-shirt for myself and a hoodie for my wife.
Here’s wishing everyone safe travels and good rock n roll shows wherever you may go!
JCE, or John to his friends, was born in the Nation’s Capital and grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C. He just turned 60 years old, he has a wife of 32 years, and a grown daughter. He leads a bit of a double life, working by day as the chief administrative officer of a VA county, and spending as many nights as possible listening to live rock n roll with his wife at any club that has a decent band within 100 miles or so of their house (and sometimes further).