BY JUD COST

Debbie Harry positively bounced onto the stage of the cavernous theater of Reno's Grand Sierra Resort, and from the standing ovation by the nearly sold-out house, you'd have thought it was Obama '08 all over again. Looking more into it than she had at Blondie's Fillmore Auditorium show only six months ago, Harry was decked out tonight in black plastic-rimmed shades, the slightly larger cousin of that body-hugging, zebra-skin dress she wore back in the group's salad days 30 years ago and a shaggy, shoulder-length platinum coif that my fashionista companion for the evening insisted was a wig.

The crux of the original band was also on hand, including silver-thatched guitarist Chris Stein, whose hybrid Tom Verlaine/surf-guitar leads were sharper than Bobby Flay's prep knife slicing vegetables, and Clem Burke in a CBGB t-shirt, surely one of the best rock drummers ever (eat your heart out, Keith Moon). New recruits included guitarist Paul Carbonara who played the "rawk" stuff, bassist Leigh Fox and keyboard man Matt Katz-Bohen.

The rejuvenated Rock & Roll Hall of Fame combo kicked things off in roaring style with "Call Me," an energetic dance number co-written by Harry and disco/synthesizer whiz Giorgio Moroder that topped the U.S. charts for Blondie in 1980. Harry's high school French/Italian blend, spotlighted in the song's bridge ("Chiamami, mon cheri"), still sounds very appealing. Sporting a dayglo pink shirt, a nice contrast with everyone else clad in black, Katz-Bohen spun out the jittery electric keyboard lines to "Hanging On The Telephone" originally created by the recently retired Jimmy Destri. The tune, a regional hit, was penned more than 30 years ago by Jack Lee of the Nerves, an under-appreciated new wave trio from L.A. that also boasted the very young Peter Case and Paul Collins.

Wearing her jungle-queen saber tooth necklace and chattier than usual onstage, Harry said she'd won $29 that afternoon playing the casino's dizzying array of hi-tech slot machines. "But even better, the lady next to me won $20 thousand. We were so happy for her."  

A pair of lesser-known gems, "Fade Away And Radiate" and "Atomic," kept the aging demographic's interest from flagging until the impressive closing volley, worthy of the fireworks finale at your favorite local theme park. "Rapture," a low bow in the direction of early hip hop star Grandmaster Flash, sounded better tonight than it did when it rocketed skyward in 1981. Even without the marimba, mariachi trumpets and weeping violins from the studio version that topped the charts in 1980, "The Tide Is High" still has the power to instantly melt the ice in your Cuba Libre. When Harry sang the familiar refrain "I'm gonna be your number one," she didn't have to urge the faithful to extend their index fingers like rabid college football fans.

"One Way Or Another" wrapped the set in cellophane like an orchid corsage for your prom date. A surprisingly fine cover of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from the film Titanic, emphasized Blondie's knack for uncovering material that most would overlook, much like Miles Davis did with Broadway show tunes 50 years ago. Signature tune "Heart Of Glass" sent everyone home happy, or more likely, out into the casino so they could blow the rest of their cash.

It would have been nice to hear early efforts like "X Offender" and "Rip Her To Shreds," a Shangri-Las-like put-down supreme, both  from Blondie's first album. Or their magnificent cover/update of Randy & the Rainbows' 1963 doo wop landmark, "Denis" (another chance for Harry to practice her French). But it was a magnificent night, just as the cards were dealt. 

It was a sweltering 105 degrees in Reno this afternoon, and you had to drive the last 100 miles to get to "The Biggest Little City In The World" through a choking pall of smoke from a forest fire burning near Yosemite, 90 miles to the south. But, even if they'd pulled you over, handed you a hose, a hard hat and a back-hoe and forced you to work the fire lines for a couple of hours, it would have been totally worth the trip.