In September, the Sunset Strip welcomes back music icon Cherie Currie to rock the Rainbow.

If you were lucky enough to catch Cherie Currie‘s electrifying performance during “Ultimate Jam Night” at the Whisky a Go-Go back in 2023, you already know the woman doesn’t simply perform Runaways songs—she detonates them.

For a couple glorious hours, the Sunset Strip wasn’t in 2023 anymore. It was 1977. The air felt smoky. The guitars sounded louder. The ghosts of platform boots, leather jackets, satin corsets, and teenage rebellion seemed to be hanging around the Whisky like they never left. And honestly, where else could this happen?

CHERRY BOMBS AWAY: Cherie Curry at the Whisky, 2023. 🍒

One minute you’re dodging tourists taking selfies outside the Whisky, and the next you’re watching the original voice of one of rock’s most influential all-female bands tear into songs that helped change music history.

Now, Currie is returning to her old Sunset Strip stomping grounds when she co-headlines the Rainbow Bar & Grill’s annual parking lot party on September 6 alongside Stephen Pearcy of Ratt. That’s right—the voice of The Runaways and the voice of “Round and Round” sharing a stage on the Sunset Strip. Somewhere, every cassette tape from 1984 is smiling.

For younger–and/or stoned–fans, a little history lesson…

When The Runaways exploded onto the scene in the mid-’70s, rock was still very much a boys’ club. Then along came Cherie Currie, Joan Jett, Sandy West, Lita Ford, Jackie Fox, and later Vicki Blue—a group of teenagers who looked like they should be worrying about algebra homework but instead were busy blowing the doors off rock and roll.

Critics didn’t know what to make of them. Young rock fans couldn’t get enough of them. Future generations of female rockers from Courtney Love to L7 owe them a huge debt for kicking open the doors of rock and roll for female artists to take the center stage spotlight.

As we count down the days until the Rainbow parking lot becomes the coolest place on Earth again, here are five Runaways classics we’re hoping Currie unleashes on September 6.

1. “California Paradise”

If Southern California could be squeezed into a three-minute rock song, this would be it. “California Paradise” captures the dreamy, sun-drenched mythology of Los Angeles before influencers, before smartphones, and before everyone felt compelled to photograph their lunch. It’s pure vintage California. Hearing Currie perform it on the Sunset Strip would be like opening a musical time capsule.

And let’s be honest: if you’re standing outside the Rainbow with the California sun going down behind the palm trees, this song practically plays itself.

2. “Queens of Noise”

Forget subtlety. “Queens of Noise” kicks down the front door, steals your stereo, and then leaves you thanking it for the experience. The title track from the band’s second album remains one of the most rockin’ statements The Runaways ever recorded. It’s loud, unapologetic, rebellious, and everything that made the band legendary. Plus, every time I hear it, I imagine some record executive in 1977 clutching his pearls and asking, “Wait… girls can rock this hard?” Yes. Yes, they can.

3. “Cherry Bomb”

There are rock songs. And then there are cultural events. “Cherry Bomb” wasn’t just a hit—it was a declaration of teen rebellion mixed with the band’s personal vendetta against every expectation placed on young women in rock music. Nearly 50 years later, that opening scream still hits like a lightning bolt. It’s the classic rock anthem that everyone will be waiting for–and the sing-along on the Sunset Strip is sure to be heard from DTLA to Venice Beach.

4. “Heartbeat”

Every great rock band has that one song that shows there’s more going on beneath the leather jackets, platform boots, and teenage attitude. For The Runaways, that song is “Heartbeat.” In this tribute to Currie’s rock and roll inspiration, David Bowie, her haunting, moody vocal performance transformed it into one of the band’s most underrated gems. While “Cherry Bomb” explodes and “Queens of Noise” kicks down doors, “Heartbeat” reveals a softer but equally badass side of The Runaways. And if Currie slips this one into her September 6 set at the Rainbow, it would be the kind of deep cut that sends longtime Runaways fans into a frenzy.

Not every great rock song has to knock you upside the head. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you and warms your soul.

5. “Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin”

“Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin” is one of those tracks that distills The Runaways’ entire identity into a single blast of sound and attitude. It’s raw, loud, and unapologetic. Lyrically and musically, it captures the Runaways’ at their gritty best with an anthem for outsiders who refuse to play it safe, even when the risks are obvious. These neon angels from the Sunset Strip turn it up to 11 and rock your face off with an out and proud anthem for rock and roll rebels daring to live their life to the fullest regardless of risk when the rewards are sex, drugs, and rock and roll! This song will be the perfect anthem for the Rainbow as well, because it shares the same energy as The Runaways.

That’s exactly why it fits so naturally in a place like the Rainbow Bar & Grill, a venue already tied to the mythology of Sunset Strip rock. The song carries that same voltage in its DNA: loud guitars, no apology, and a belief that rock music should live on forever.

 BADASS BONUS

‘Since You Been Gone’ Kept Post-Runaways Rock N’ Roll Spirit Raging 

Of course, Cherie Currie’s story didn’t end when The Runaways called it quits.

In 1980, Currie teamed up with her identical twin sister, Marie Currie, for the duo’s debut album Messin’ with the Boys, proving that rock and roll talent clearly runs in the family. The album’s standout track—a fiery cover of Russ Ballard’s “Since You Been Gone”—remains one of the most criminally underrated hard-rock gems of the era.

And if Currie were to surprise fans with this one at the Rainbow parking lot party? Let’s just say there probably wouldn’t be a single person standing still. And if they are, you may want to check their pulse.

The Countdown Begins

Whether she performs all five of these songs or surprises fans with deeper cuts, one thing is certain: Cherie Currie’s return to the Sunset Strip won’t just be another concert. It’ll be a homecoming. A celebration of a band and an artist that helped rewrite the rules of rock and roll. And for one night, the Sunset Strip will once again belong to the Queen of Noise.

We’ll see you in the Rainbow parking lot on September 6!