YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Vindys are returning to their hometown this weekend after six weeks on the road with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo on their North American tour.

The Youngstown-based band will open for another rock legend – Lita Ford – on Saturday at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre. The concert will raise money for the Rich Center for Autism and allow the band to reconnect with some of its longtime fans.

It will also be the first time The Vindys’ horn section will perform with the band in a couple of months. The brass section has not accompanied the band on the Benatar tour.

Jackie Popovec, The Vindys’ frontwoman, is looking forward to it.

“We have missed those guys so much on the road,” she said. “And we’ve always loved backing the Rich Center, too. It’s such a great cause, and playing for it always feels meaningful.”

In addition to Popovec, The Vindys are John Anthony (lead guitar), Rick Deak (rhythm guitar), Owen Davis (drums), Brendan Burke (bass) and Nathan Anthony (keyboards).

Benatar and Giraldo also tapped The Vindys to open for them on their 2024 tour. The Rock Hall of Famers were so pleased that they decided to bring them back this year.

Benatar has continued the love by consistently bringing Popovec on stage with her during the middle of her set. The two have sung “We Belong” and “In These Times” almost every night of the current tour, which began in mid-April.

It’s an amazing opportunity that always leaves Popovec feeling blown away when the whirlwind slows down for a minute.

“On Tuesday night, we got to come home for the night after a show in Marietta [Ohio], and as I’m walking into my house and throwing my backpack on the kitchen floor, I said, “Wow, I got to sing with Pat Benatar tonight! It’s really strange and cool when I think about it, that she invites me to be featured in her show every night. So cool!”

One very tangible benefit of touring with Benatar and Giraldo is the rapid growth of The Vindys’ fan base. Playing for thousands of fresh faces across the country every night has been an invaluable boost to the band’s career.

“We’ve reached more people in the last year than ever before,” Popovec said. “That’s what matters most. We see it in our social media numbers and listeners and people who buy our merchandise online. The word is still spreading about The Vindys.” 

The Benatar tour will play Windsor, Ontario, tonight and the Blue Gate Performing Arts Center in northern Indiana on Friday. It will close Sunday with a show at Freeman Arts Pavilion in Delaware.

With Saturday’s show in Youngstown, The Vindys are playing a grueling four nights in a row.

Life on the road can have its obstacles, but the band has adapted and found ways to unwind.

“Touring isn’t as romantic as one would think,” Popovec said. “Because we’re traveling without a crew behind us, we have to do all the heavy lifting behind the scenes to pull off a great show every night. Everyone has settled into their small roles and jobs, including loading and unloading gear, booking hotels, production assistance, hospitality. … We operate like a machine these days.”

The most fun part of each day, she said, comes when the band is on stage – and also in “finding a really good local restaurant after the show.”

Singing night after night with few days of rest means Popovec deploys “an arsenal” of products and tricks to keep her vocal cords healthy.

“I have all the tricks on hand, including Throat Coat Tea with honey, bone broth and Ricola cough drops,” she said. “Most important is probably sleep, which is hard to do in a van and when arriving at different hotels late at night. I also talk in a soft tone between shows and drink plenty of water.”

She also brings a humidifier on the road, which helps out in dry hotel rooms and in the dressing rooms at venues.

Tickets for Saturday’s concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m., range from $75 to $28.50 and are available at the Covelli Centre box office and online HERE.

They can also be purchased at the gate before the concert.

Though Lita Ford may not have been inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, she is in the Metal Hall of Fame.

Her career started in the 1970s as lead guitarist with the groundbreaking all-female rock band The Runaways, which was best known for its hit “Cherry Bomb” (1976).

As a solo artist, Ford is known for her massive  hit “Kiss Me Deadly” and her collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne, “Close My Eyes Forever,” both released in 1988.

Pictured at top: Jackie Popovec sings on stage with Pat Benatar during a May 23 concert at Mershon Auditorium in Columbus.