Ronnie Spector performing at Rockefeller Park, New York, NY, 8/3/5. Photo by Jeanne Fury. Photo © 2005 NYRock.com.

Ronnie Spector, Rockefeller Park,
New York, NY, August 3, 2005

"Ronnie Spector is the magna dea of rock 'n' roll!" Those words were spoken by Dr. Donna Gaines, punk-rock sociologist and ambassador to all things kick-ass. Pay attention: Donna is smarter and cooler than you or I will probably ever be in this lifetime. Therefore, when she makes a proclamation as such, we riders of the short bus pay attention. Capice?

That being said, it really doesn't take a Ph.D. to tell me that Ronnie Spector walks on water. When it comes to New York rock 'n' roll, all paths lead to Ronnie. She is the original bad girl and for that reason alone – we'll get to her voice in a bit – she is to be cherished. Born in Spanish Harlem on August 10, 1943, Veronica Bennett started singing with her sister Estelle and cousin Nedra at the age of 14, hitting the bar mitzvah circuit. They brought the world to its knees as the Ronettes, guided by the now-batshit-insane, afro-sporting, murder-suspect Phil Spector. While groups like the Shirelles and the Crystals looked and sang like prudish young ladies, the Ronettes rocked teased hair and miniskirts.

I don't have time to go through all of what makes Ronnie Spector the magna dea. If you want all the heart-wrenching details, read her autobiography: Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life as a Fabulous Ronette. I'll highlight some of the notable stuff:

• The opening act for the Ronettes world tour was a upcoming band called the Rolling Stones.
• The Beatles personally requested to have the Ronettes on their final American tour.
• Ronnie is the only American vocalist to have been backed by all four Beatles. ("Try Some, Buy Some" written by George Harrison.)
• She sang on records by Jimi Hendrix and Alice Cooper.
• Billy Joel wrote "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" as a tribute to Ronnie, which she recorded with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
• Her duet with Eddie Money, "Take Me Home Tonight," single-handedly justified the existence of Eddie Money.
• She and Joey Ramone recorded his song "Bye Bye Baby."

Ronnie Spector performing at Rockefeller Park, New York, NY, 8/3/5. Photo by Jeanne Fury. Photo © 2005 NYRock.com.

The day of her recent concert, the heat index in the city was 110 degrees. Normally, when the weather is that hot, the most energy I exert is blinking the sweat out of my eyes. But Ronnie Spector was in town to play a free show. Off I slid to Rockefeller Park, a nice patch of grass along the Hudson River where there was an actual breeze and some shade.

Ronnie's band took to the stage, playing a few instrumental numbers before welcoming her Highness. Clad in all black and wearing red lipstick that could literally be seen from a hundred feet away, Ronnie was every bit the beauty one could hope for. Even when she was singing sad songs (and she performed a bunch of 'em), you couldn't help but feel uplifted. Dulcet tones and unfettered spirit just sprang out of her.

"Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love" and "Is This What I Get For Loving You?" met with many smiles and bittersweet sighs from the smitten crowd. In between songs, she kept cheerfully shouting "It's hot!" and "Rock 'n' raawwwl!"

After performing a clarion version of "Say Good Bye to Hollywood," Ronnie shook her head and flicked her hand in the air, proclaiming, "I had to get outta there.... It almost killed me!" Dear Hollywood: We hate you for trying to kill Ronnie Spector. We really, really hate you.

Then she sang one of the saddest songs in the history of ever, "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine," which wouldn't have been so damn sad if she didn't sound so genuine. It wasn't a groveling, bereft feeling she transmitted – it was a quiet kind of shattered. "I'm crying for real!" she said at the end.

During "Baby, I Love You," a group of three children walked right up to the front of the stage, staring at Ronnie in wonder and clamping their hands over their ears as kids are wont to do. Then some old dude with a big white beard wearing yellow cargo shorts started furiously rotating his hips, as if he was some extreme hula-hoop champion. Weirdness knows no age.

Ronnie ended the song with a kick and a naughty little "Oh yeah!" before introducing the next number. "This is about a place I went to twice. You know, marriage." And the first few notes of "Chapel of Love" followed. Imagine a field of people atonally singing "Goooo-in' to the cha-pel an' we're go-nna get maaaa-aaaa-aaaaried."

Ronnie's rockin' version of "He Did It" blew my little mind. Her voice switched into tuff-chick mode, all scratched up and raw. But when it came time for Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arm Around a Memory," any tuffness in my bones was subsequently reduced to a pile of sniffles.

Of course, you can't see a Ronnie Spector show without eagerly anticipating "Be My Baby." Applause and whistles greeted the intro, people danced on the grass, and it became a live karaoke collaboration. Ronnie was all smiles. "This is my favorite part," she cried during the middle of the song, where the music stops and it's just the thump of the bass drum. Giving her hips a good shake in time to the beat, goddess Ronnie reached full enlightenment.