When it comes to both women’s health research and supporting female musicians, Women Who Rock is staying anything but quiet.
With another annual benefit concert at the indoor venue of Stage AE on the North Shore, the organization made Saturday night an unforgettable, pink-tinged event full of powerful voices.
The evening kicked off with virtuoso guitarist Malina Moye, who performed the national anthem. Before tearing into her moving rendition, she said, “America was built on legends, icons, but it’s the people — us — who preserve that legacy.”
Melinda Colaizzi, founder of Women Who Rock, took the stage to cheers. “This event and movement started right here in Pittsburgh, and it’s now impacting women’s lives all over the world,” she said. “We are so lucky. We are leading the world in women’s health research right here from Pittsburgh.”
She was speaking specifically of the Magee-Womens Research Institute, where groundbreaking advances into women’s health are occurring all the time — with the help of funds from this event.
The benefit concert was emceed by Kelly Dzanaj of Star 100.7 FM. She announced Mallory Bozovich, winner of this year’s Women Who Rock Rising Star Contest. The 18-year-old country singer-songwriter put plenty of punch into her performance when she sang her song “Gravel & a Rock.”
In the midst of all the music, a group of incredible women filed onto the stage, the Survivors Who Rock. They were accompanied by singer Kalie Shorr, singing her song “Fight Like a Girl.” It was a powerful reminder of the future the event is fighting for.
The featured act for the benefit concert was Youngstown, Ohio, band The Vindys. Fronted by the sensational voice of Jackie Popovec, the band showed plenty of range. They started off with a tribute to recently deceased legend Dolly Parton, with Popovec lending her brassy-but-sweet vocals to “Jolene.”
Their other songs ranged from stomping Americana to pulse-pounding pure rock to a touch of disco-tinged pop under bubblegum pink lights. They earned big cheers with the jamfest “Trap Door” and when Popovec gave Axl Rose a run for his money singing the last section of “Sweet Child ‘O Mine.” Between their pealing guitars and exuberant horns, the band brought pure spirit to every note.
Before headliner Taylor Dayne appeared, the Women Who Rock Impact Award for 2026 was presented to Diana Napper of the A Glimmer Of Hope Foundation. The organization — which has raised more than $7 million for breast cancer research — provided the original seed grant for DCIS breast cancer vaccine research at UPMC.
“Diana Napper is an amazing human being, a great role model and a true pioneer,” said Michael Annachine, president and CEO of Magee-Womens Research Institute, as he presented the award to Napper.
In accepting, Napper said, “For my granddaughters, my greatest dream is that one day they will ask me, ‘what was breast cancer?’ Because of this vaccine, that is a possibility.”
The night’s headliner ended a great evening on an even higher note. Taylor Dayne may have been one of many late-’80s pop stars, but she’s got the voice of an icon. She’s sold more than 75 million albums and singles worldwide and got seven singles in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 from 1987 to 1990. She is also a cancer survivor who has advocated recently for people — especially women — to prioritize early detection.
The 64-year-old singer performed 11 songs on Saturday night and nothing short of glowed for all of them. In the upbeat and dancey openers “Prove Your Love” and “With Every Beat of My Heart,” Dayne strutted the stage in sparkles and belted out each note with surprising power.
Even in “Don’t Rush Me,” where her voice dipped into a lower, breathier register, Dayne found her footing easily. While ballads including “I’ll Always Love You” don’t fit quite as well into her wheelhouse — her vocals were a bit harsh — they still packed an emotional punch.
She paid tribute to many artists she admired and who are no longer with us with covers, including a soulful rendition of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” for Tina Turner. But the finest of her covers was of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which suited her perfectly. She pushed her already high voice even higher in some fantastic soaring notes, and she let the audience sing some of the lines to make it a truly communal experience.
After the ’80s-prom-coded No. 1 hit “Love Will Lead You Back,” she leapt into a ’90s techno rendition of Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” accompanied by multicolored lights and a crowd that was excited to dance. After a couple of verses, her band transitioned into a more traditional ’70s version of the song, which was just as gratifying.
Dayne changed it up with her penultimate song, which was guitar-driven and even a little honky-tonk. “I’ll Be Your Shelter” was written by Diane Warren and felt like a fitting message of support and love for the evening’s event.
But she wasn’t done yet. After declaring “C’mon girls, we rock!” Dayne rode the wave of her boundless energy into her most well-remembered hit, “Tell It To My Heart.”
It was a night full of great causes, great music and the incredible power of women’s voices.