Heartbreaker – America’s Premier Pat Benatar Experience is a Nashville-based five-piece tribute formed in 2020 by guitarist David Lowry, fronted by powerhouse vocalist Missy Garnett, with a band of touring professionals who have shared stages with Rick Springfield, Mick Fleetwood, Larry Gatlin, Alabama, Trisha Yearwood, and Mickey Thomas’s Starship. The show captures both Pat Benatar’s legendary vocal power and the mesmerizing musicianship of her husband and musical partner Neil Giraldo across the catalog from “Heartbreaker” through “Love Is a Battlefield.”
Pat Benatar is one of the most successful and influential female rock artists in modern history, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. With 30-plus million records sold worldwide, 2 multi-platinum and 5 platinum albums, 15 Billboard Top 40 singles, and four consecutive Grammy Awards (1980-1983) for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, the first artist ever to win that category four years in a row, Pat’s catalog defined a genre and influenced virtually every female rock artist who followed, from Ann and Nancy Wilson and Joan Jett through P!nk, Gwen Stefani, and Avril Lavigne. The catalog connects with virtually every demographic that responds to MTV-era arena rock, 1980s pop-rock, and female-fronted hard rock, from longtime Benatar fans through younger audiences who came to her through cultural staples and steady classic-rock radio rotation. “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” “Heartbreaker,” “Promises in the Dark,” “Shadows of the Night,” and “Invincible” remain singalong anthems decades after their release.
Heartbreaker goes beyond a standard tribute approach in three meaningful ways. First, the band’s working-professional resume is unusually deep for a tribute act. The five-piece lineup is packed with touring professionals who have played with Rick Springfield, Mick Fleetwood, Larry Gatlin, Alabama, Trisha Yearwood, Mickey Thomas’s Starship, the Divinyls, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat, Steppenwolf, and Molly Hatchet, among others. This is not a local cover band; this is a Nashville-based ensemble of credentialed working pros. Second, lead vocalist Missy Garnett brings a credentialed background of her own: she has personally performed with and opened shows for Gary Allan, Keith Urban, Diamond Rio, Trace Adkins, The Buckinghams, The Kentucky Headhunters, and Aaron Tippin with The Missy Garnett Band, has been featured on Kentucky Downs TV commercials twice, and has released two CDs available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. Her vocal power and range have earned the band consistent praise for capturing the spirit and signature sound of Pat Benatar. Third, guitarist and co-founder David Lowry portrays Neil Giraldo on stage, and the partnership between Missy and David captures the energetic, improvisational performance style that defined Pat and Neil’s legendary musical-and-marriage partnership on stage.
Pat Benatar is still actively touring with Neil Giraldo, but at age 72, her touring frequency has decreased and ticket prices for the real act have climbed substantially. For event organizers, that makes Heartbreaker a particularly practical booking: the act fits the same fair, festival, performing arts center, and casino venues as the real Pat Benatar, at a fraction of the cost, on dates the real Pat Benatar cannot accept, and with a band of touring professionals capable of delivering the level of authenticity audiences expect. This is a vetted, family-friendly, multi-generational headliner with documented City Winery Nashville, Theater at the Center (Indiana), and Capitol Theatre (West Virginia) credentials, plus a sustained touring footprint across the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas.
Heartbreaker is a proven fit for:
Heartbreaker performs an unusually deep Pat Benatar setlist drawing from across her entire career, from the breakout 1979 debut album through her later releases.
Heartbreaker – America’s Premier Pat Benatar Experience is a Nashville-based five-piece tribute formed in 2020 by guitarist David Lowry, who built the band out of an earlier Nashville tribute project. After auditioning vocalists, the search ended when Missy Garnett walked in. “Missy blew us away from the moment she walked in the door,” David said. “She looked like the consummate professional and acted like the consummate professional.” The band has since built a sustained national touring footprint across the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas, capturing the spirit, sound, and energy of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo to bring audiences the ultimate Pat Benatar concert experience.
The lineup is composed of credentialed touring professionals. Lead vocalist Missy Garnett, originally from Mattoon, Illinois, moved to the Nashville area after working as an on-air personality at 101.3 WMCI in Illinois, and has performed on Nashville stages including Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, The Second Fiddle, Bailey’s, The Cadillac Ranch, and The Nashville Palace. She has opened shows for Gary Allan, Keith Urban, Diamond Rio, Trace Adkins, The Buckinghams, The Kentucky Headhunters, and Aaron Tippin with The Missy Garnett Band, has been featured twice on Kentucky Downs TV commercials, and has released two CDs. Co-founder and lead guitarist David Lowry, who portrays Neil Giraldo on stage, is an in-demand Nashville guitarist currently playing in eight different projects, including Winds of Change (Jefferson Starship tribute) and Face Value (Phil Collins/Genesis tribute); he has toured Romania, China, India, and the United States. Bassist Rudy Z (Rudy Zeithammel) toured extensively with Ruby Starr of Black Oak Arkansas fame, opening for Black Oak Arkansas, the Divinyls, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat, Steppenwolf, Head East, and Molly Hatchet. Keyboardist Jeff Gibson was a founding member of the original tribute that pre-dated Heartbreaker. Drummer Kelly King rounds out the rhythm section.
Collectively, the Heartbreaker lineup features touring professionals who have played with Rick Springfield, Mick Fleetwood, Larry Gatlin, Alabama, Trisha Yearwood, Mickey Thomas’s Starship, and more. Documented venue credits include City Winery Nashville (where Heartbreaker has performed multiple times, including opening for A Springsteen Celebration), Theater at the Center in Munster, Indiana, The Capitol Theatre in Charleston, West Virginia, The New Granbury Live in Granbury, Texas, The Basement East in Nashville (David Lowry’s Birthday Bash three-female-tribute lineup with The Pretenders Experience and Rhiannon the Stevie Nicks Experience), the Patron Event Center, the Mattoon American Legion, the Tennessee Freedom Rally, and ongoing PAC, casino, and concert-series programming nationwide.
Pat Benatar tributes with this level of working-professional musician credentials and documented PAC touring are uncommon, and Heartbreaker is one of the premier options in the category. TSE Entertainment can also recommend other Pat Benatar or 1980s female-fronted rock tribute options nationwide for buyers exploring alternatives.
That means you are not locked into a single option. We help match the right act to your event based on practical factors that actually affect success:
We have booked Pat Benatar and 1980s rock tribute acts nationwide, and every option we recommend is vetted and event-proven. If Heartbreaker is not the perfect fit, we will quickly suggest comparable options that are.
Pricing depends on the event date, location, routing, travel, production requirements, and the overall scope of the engagement. The fastest way to get a real number is to request availability with your event details.
Popular dates can tighten up quickly, especially for peak fair and festival weekends, casino entertainment programming, summer concert series, 1980s themed corporate programming, charity gala season, and high-demand corporate dates, so early inquiries usually create better artist and budget options.
Yes. The act is regularly booked for corporate events, charity galas, private parties, performing arts centers, casinos, fairs, festivals, weddings, and other special events, depending on the event setup and production needs.
Three things set Heartbreaker apart. First, the band is composed of working-professional touring musicians from Nashville. Collectively the lineup has shared stages with Rick Springfield, Mick Fleetwood, Larry Gatlin, Alabama, Trisha Yearwood, Mickey Thomas’s Starship, the Divinyls, Blue Öyster Cult, Foghat, Steppenwolf, and Molly Hatchet, among others. Second, lead vocalist Missy Garnett brings her own credentialed background: she has opened shows for Gary Allan, Keith Urban, Diamond Rio, Trace Adkins, and others, and has released two CDs. Third, guitarist and co-founder David Lowry portrays Neil Giraldo on stage with the energetic improvisational chemistry that defined Pat and Neil’s legendary musical-and-marriage partnership, and the band’s documented venue credits include City Winery Nashville, Theater at the Center, The Capitol Theatre, and major performing arts centers and casino venues nationwide.
Pat Benatar’s catalog connects with classic rock, 1980s arena rock, hard rock, MTV-era pop-rock, and female-fronted rock audiences, longtime Benatar fans, multi-generational rock crowds (parents who saw Pat in the 80s often bring kids who discovered her through classic-rock radio and the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction), and broad family-friendly programming. The show plays especially well at theaters, casinos, fairs, festivals, House of Blues-style venues, 1980s themed corporate events, and female-fronted rock celebration programming.
Yes. The show captures both Pat Benatar’s legendary vocal power and the mesmerizing musicianship of her husband and musical partner Neil Giraldo, who wrote, produced, and played guitar on virtually every Benatar record. Guitarist David Lowry portrays Neil on stage, and the energetic chemistry between Missy and David captures the same dynamic that defined Pat and Neil’s actual partnership.
Yes. Heartbreaker regularly bills alongside Stevie Nicks tribute Rhiannon, The Pretenders Experience, and other female-rock tribute acts in “Women Who Rocked the World” celebration shows. This makes Heartbreaker a strong pairing option for buyers programming multi-act female-rock revue evenings or festival lineups. TSE can help coordinate these pairings.
Yes. If Heartbreaker is unavailable or not the best fit for your event, TSE can recommend other vetted Pat Benatar and 1980s female-fronted rock tribute options based on budget, location, and event style.
Submit an inquiry with your event date, location, and event type, and TSE can help confirm availability and provide pricing guidance.
Check availability, get pricing, and let TSE match the right Pat Benatar tribute option for your event. Call 800-765-8203 or submit an entertainment request to get started.
