Because she hasn’t had a chart-topping hit or album in a long time, some people tend to forget just how mega-popular Pat Benatar once was (she’s sold umpteen millions of albums), or overlook how influential and empowering she’s been for female musicians– you can (and should) put her up there with the likes of Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, and Kathleen Hanna in that regard. But setting aside the commercial and social aspects of her career, Benatar’s music simply kicks ass, and her songwriting absolutely stands the test of time– for proof, go listen to her litany of hits, including “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Promises in the Dark,” “You Better Run,” “Love is a Battlefield,” and “Shadows of the Night” (which has a completely awesome World War II-themed video which featured then-unknown actor Bill Paxton as a Nazi radio operator), and just try not to rock out. Now 55, Benatar continues to tour regularly with longtime husband and guitarist Neil Giraldo, happily performing those hits with a voice that’s maintained its edge, authority, and ass-kicking power after all these years. Fri., Aug. 15, 8:30 p.m., 2008