Joan Jett has performed in front of enough raucous crowds in her lifetime that she shouldn’t find the ear-splitting “O!” during her next performance very imposing.
Jett, an Orioles fan and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will sing the national anthem before Game 1 of the Orioles’ American League Division Series matchup against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
Jett and her band also visited Camden Yards in August, when the longtime Orioles fan met players and manager Brandon Hyde. She joined the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcast later that evening and helped call a Ryan O’Hearn two-run single.
In an interview with Billboard in 2014, Jett said she’s been a die-hard Orioles fan since 1969. She was born near Philadelphia but lived in Baltimore for a period of her youth, and Jett told the publication her first game was a Jim Palmer no-hitter.
“How can you not be an Orioles freak after seeing that for the first game?” Jett told Billboard. “It was the team with Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson and the four 20-game winners. It was quite a learning experience at the time.”
Jett has performed the national anthem several times at Camden Yards (she told Billboard it was at least six or seven), but her 1995 performance ahead of the game came on a momentous day for the organization. Jett sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,130th consecutive game, tying Lou Gehrig’s record. According to The Washington Post, Jett was among the celebrities at a postgame ceremony for Ripken.
Saturday’s Game 1 of the ALDS will also feature a first pitch from former outfielder Adam Jones. Gates open at 10:30 a.m. before the 1:03 p.m. game, and parking lots open at 9:30 a.m.
