Go-Go’s Concert Review: Beauty and the Beat Rocks On!

The Go-Go’s in Seattle at the Woodland Park Zoo, and yep, that’s me onstage with them

I was only 9 when the first Go-Go’s album, Beauty and the Beat, was released in 1981, but once I heard the group’s infectious hit, “We Got the Beat,” it was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the Go-Go’s.

Here it is, 30-years later, and the hardest working women in rock and roll are still making magic happen. 

Three days after receiving their star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame (which was long overdue I might add) the Go-Go’s rocked Seattle at the Woodland Park Zoo. Small venues are always a favorite of mine because of the special bond a band can form with it’s audience, and this was exactly the case with the Go-Go’s. 

Belinda Carlisle waved at fans, shook hands and smiled through the entire concert. She held out her microphone for fans to sing. Jane Wiedlin wore a lei that someone threw onstage and she and Kathy Valentine gave handfuls of guitar picks to a couple of kids and told them to give them away to other kids. The vibe of the band was nothing but love. It was obvious that the girls appreciate their fans.

Even 30-years later the Go-Go’s not only look amazing, they sound even better. Belinda Carlisle‘s voice is ageless, not to mention her beauty (unbelievable that she will be 53 on Wednesday) and Jane Wiedlin is still a ham on stage and the cutest guitarist in the history of rock and roll. Kathy Valentine‘s energy was contagious, Charlotte Caffey was impressive on both guitar and keyboards and Gina Schock kept the beat strong. Like Belinda said between songs, “A band is only as good as their drummer,” and Shockley rocked the house.

This concert review will be unlike any one I have ever written because Jane actually went out of her way to make sure I had a great time. How did that happen? Check it out.

I spontaneously tweeted Jane Wiedlin the morning of the show and told her I’d be the chick in a Rosie the Riveter shirt. Heh. I was convinced I’d make my way up front, and I’m just a dork like that. But sure enough, we got right up front, seated directly in front of Jane Wiedlin during the show. During the Go-Go’s first song, Vacation, Jane looked down at me at I saw in her eyes that she had read my tweet. I didn’t know for sure, but I said to my husband, “I swear, I think Jane read my tweet about my shirt!” And she did.

Before the show

About midway through the show it time for the ladies to play the fun tune, Cool Jerk, a song originally performed by The Capitols. An upbeat, catchy tune that I always loved, but little did I know what that song would mean to me by the end of the night. 

Jane asked the audience, “Who’s the best dancer out there?” My husband, always quick on his feet with this sort of thing, shouted, “Me!” so I chimed in too. And just like that, Jane Wiedlin invited my husband and I onstage.

Now, for a child of the 1980s, this was a dream come true. We’re talking bucket list kind of thing. I grew up with the Go-Gos and now I was somehow dancing onstage with them! It was pretty surreal and I honestly still can’t believe it really happened. If you watch the video above you’ll see how fun it was, and you’ll also see that my husband is quite the showboat. I feel so fortunate to have had the moment caught on video, thank you so much to the Go-Go’s for sending it my way!

Onstage with the Go-Gos!

Ladies and gentlemen, if you EVER get the chance to see the Go-Go’s in concert, DO IT. Their shows are all about one thing: Fun! Seeing the first all-female band to top the charts who actually wrote their own songs and played their own instruments is simply a must for any true fan of rock and roll, and the Go-Go’s do not disappoint. 

God Bless the Go-Go’s!

 

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More concert photos after the cut!

[Photos: C. Milburn/ Celebrity Smack]