Invincible will hit Coshocton concert series with their best shot Saturday

COSHOCTON ? Although a pure product of the 1980s, the lead singer of a Pat Benatar tribute act believes her music is timeless.

Invincible, led by Michelle McDowell and Lee Silvis, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on the Coshocton Court Square as part of the free summer concert series of the City of Coshocton and Our Town Coshocton. The band also features Kristin Kretzler on keyboards and vocals, Roy Tanner on bass and vocals, Danny Sidoti on guitar and Marty Zlocki on drums. They're based in the Portage and Summit counties area.

Along with Benatar's hits, the band also performs other songs of the 1980s.

"It's the energy and the excitement of people who love live music," McDowell said of performing shows. "Being a tribute band, they are coming there because they love Pat Benatar. Not only do they know most of the songs, they know the hits, the know some of less known ones. They know those as well and it's a thrill watching them sing with us and their enjoyment."

Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo were inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Benatar won the Grammy Award for best female rock vocal performance from 1981 to 1984. She had a dozen top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Love is a Battlefield," "We Belong" and "Invincible" making the top 10. Her albums "Crimes of Passion," "Precious Time" and "Get Nervous" made the top five.

"She was one of the first female rockers to pave the way for the young female rock artists of today," McDowell said. "She had a lot of strong, powerful music. It wasn't these heartbroken love songs. 'Love is a Battlefield' and 'Hell is for Children' are very powerful songs about what she was very passionate about."

Silvis and McDowell are in the 15th year of their partnership. McDowell said, much like Benatar, she didn't start out as a rock singer. She has a degree in musical theater and began her career in musicals and live shows at Cedar Point.

She auditioned for a project Silvis already had which featured songs by a variety of female rock singers. McDowell said the Benatar songs always got the best reaction when performed live, which led to them leaving the band and forming Bringing Benatar, which became Invincible.

"Every time we'd get done (with the first band), people would be like, "God, you nailed the Pat Benatar. Have you ever thought about doing a tribute band.' At that point we weren't. But, as that occurred more and more, Lee would kind of look at me, tilt his head and give me this look and I'd be 'I know. I know,'" McDowell said. "Finally, when that band broke up he said 'about time to get that Pat Benatar tribute band off the ground.' And we've been doing this ever since."

McDowell knows seeing her isn't like seeing Benatar, but they do their best to produce an authentic experience. For some fans, it's just not feasible for them to see the real artist, even if they are still touring like Benatar.

"Most of the tribute bands I know are pretty high caliber. You get a good taste of your favorite artist," she said.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Pat Benatar tribute band Invincible plays Coshocton