Joan Jett honored at Little Kids Rock benefit by Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Kathleen Hanna, Billie Joe Armstrong, more - pics

October 28, 2014

One of the most moving parts of the evening was Kathleeen Hanna’s speech about you before her performance. She talked about how you helped her during a difficult part in her life. She also told a story about you getting knocked out cold when someone threw a bottle at you during a concert and it hit you in the head. Do you remember that incident and did you actually get knocked out?

Joan Jett: Yes I do remember it. I don’t think I was knocked out cold, but I was knocked to the ground and I was in a daze. But during Kathleen’s speech, I was on the verge of tears. I guess I just didn’t realize how much I meant to Kathleen, and what our experience meant to her. To me, it was just two musicians, and two girls from slightly different generations, relating but having the same experiences. It was really moving. To tell you the truth, I’m still processing it. I don’t know what to say. [100.7 WZLX]

The annual Little Kids Rock benefit gala went down at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom this past Thursday (10/23). Following an auction and a performance by childrens a cappella group Sharkapella, the “Rocker of the Year” award was awarded to the evening’s special guest, Joan Jett.

To pay tribute to Joan, Cheap Trick performed “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” Gary U.S. Bonds and Jake Clemons performed “Eye to Eye,” former Distillers singer Brody Dalle did “Victim of Circumstance,” Jessie Malin did “Bad Reputation,” Darlene Love did “Little Liar,” Social Distortion singer Mike Ness played “Love Is Pain,” and Bikini Kill/Le Tigre/etc’s Kathleen Hanna teamed up with her husband and former Beastie Boy Ad-Rock for “Fake Friends,” which Kathleen prefaced with a moving speech (as you can see above).

Joan took the stage herself a few times too. Once with Tommy James to perform his massive hit “Crimson and Clover,” (she told the crowd that Tommy wrote one of her biggest hits), again with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong for “Don’t Abuse Me,” and once more with Alice Cooper for “Be My Lover.” Finally, all the performers took the stage to end the night with “I Love Rock N Roll.”

Alice Cooper is in NYC again tonight to open for Motley Crue at MSG.

More pictures from the Little Kids Rock benefit below…

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