Well … it’s official. My favourite band in the whole world are calling it quits.
Nooooooo!!! *sob* I immediately went into panic-mode when I heard the news and sat in front of the computer for 3 hours looking at Travelocity to see if I could afford to follow the band Dead-Head style. *laugh*
Once I calmed down and realized that was a crazy (and near impossible) idea – I finally decided which shows would be the coolest to see.
First show I’m going to is at The Filmore in San Fran. Helllooo! The Fillmore where a bazillion amazing bands (Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Janice Joplin, etc) have played.
Then of course the LAX show … the last time I saw the girls play was at The Greek and it was amazing. I’m excited to see them play there again.
Then I’m going to hop a plane and fly to TEXAS! I’ve never been to Texas (actually that’s not true – I drove through once) and I have always wanted to visit Austin – so all you Dallas and Austin readers – can you make me a list of places I should visit/eat at in your town? I want to fill my boots while I’m there. 🙂
The Dallas show will be fun but I am anticipating that the final show in Austin will be epic. I’m excited and sad and excited. So bitter-sweet …
It’s been an amazing 30 years of worship that I’ve enjoyed immensely. From the first time I saw them play on Solid Gold (or was it American Band Stand?) back in the early 80’s – to the first time I saw them play live in Vegas in 2001 and all the shows I’ve been fortunate enough to attend since. To the friends I’ve made on The Go-Go’s Twisted & Jaded chatboard. To the time I bumped into Jane Wiedlin and totally geeked-out or the first time Kathy Valentine tweeted me … I will forever love these ladies for writing the sound-track to my life and for inspiring me in a thousand different ways.
And just because The Go-Go’s are ending that doesn’t mean the ladies are retiring. Jane Wiedlin has a new comic book and music/rock opera in the works. Kathy Valentine is always tweeting about new music she’s working on. Belinda has a new book coming out in June. Char & Gina … they have almost no web-presence and are hard to keep tabs on but Gina is writing music for the tween scene (Miley, etc) and Charlotte runs Five Foot Two Records. So all is not lost … my favourite fab-five ladies are still going strong.
I think I need to take a minute to myself and chant “Change is good. Change is good.” until I feel better … Will I see any of you at the shows?
The Go-Go’s Happily Ever After – The Farewell Tour
- July 7 San Diego, CA – Lilith Fair
- July 8 Phoenix, AZ – Lilith Fair
- July 10 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Rays
- July 11 Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
- July 14 Portsmouth, VA – NTELOS Pavilion
- July 15 Morristown, NJ – Mayo Center for the Arts
- July 16 New York, NY – Good Morning America
- July 17 Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues
- July 19 Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
- July 20 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
- July 22 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
- July 24 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
- July 26 Dallas, TX -Â Granada Theater
- July 27 Austin, TX – Paramount Theater
30 YEARS AFTER MAKING MUSIC HISTORY, THE GO-GO’S TO SAY GOODBYE
April 27, 2010 (LOS ANGELES, CA) – After 30 years together and a slew of chart-topping songs that defined an era, the Go-Go’s announce Happily Ever After – The Farewell Tour. Happily Ever After kicks off July 7, 2010 at Lilith Fair in San Diego, wraps up July 27 in Austin, and will include a live television performance on Good Morning America, July 16 in New York City.
In 1981, the Go-Go’s delivered Beauty And The Beat hot on the heels of their debut U.S. single “Our Lips Are Sealed.†The album garnered double-platinum status, reaching number one and becoming the first to top the Billboard charts by an all-female band that wrote and performed their own songs. 1982’s Vacation and 1984’s Talk Show continued their chart and radio successes and cemented the Go-Go’s as one of the most iconic and beloved groups of the 80s. The Go-Go’s released a much-celebrated anthology, Return to the Valley of The Go-Go’s in 1994, and 2001 marked the last studio album of new material, God Bless The Go-Go’s
Their story truly is a punk version of the American Dream. They came, they saw and they conquered the charts and airwaves with their kicky kitsch and sparkling California appeal. Their smash hits, such as “We Got the Beat,†“Vacation,†“Head Over Heels,†and the aforementioned “Our Lips Are Sealed,†along with countless magazine covers, television performances, and high-profile concert tours, turned Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock and Kathy Valentine into certified rock stars, and five feisty role models for generations of ready-to-rock girls. From their halcyon days as America’s sweethearts to their current status as superstars who pioneered a genre, the Go-Go’s preside over an amazing three-decade reign as high priestesses of pop.
Today, with the original lineup intact, the Go-Go’s live show continues to deliver every bit of the raw energy of their now-legendary punk beginnings, tempered with the wisdom of three decades of pop perfection. Don’t miss them on this farewell tour as they celebrate with, and say goodbye to, their devoted fans, before the Go-Go’s head into the happily ever after.
Sarah-
I’ve got your Southern leg covered! I’d love to do the Autin show too!
I’m sad, but like you am grateful for the music! I <3 the Go-Go's!
Hey, maybe I’ll go to the Fillmore show! FYI, I’ve got Belinda’s head on my mantle, maybe you want to come over and hold it and take some pics with it while you’re in SF, lol. My good friend Tim Smith (r.i.p.) was friends with the ladies in LA, he even dated Jane for a bit before he realized he was gay. He was an artist and he made a mold of Belinda’s head and then made a fiberglass head from it. I got it and some other woman’s head when he passed and now they both reside on my mantle. Strange, huh?
Chris. That is crazy!! Send me a photo!! I wanna see! 🙂
Okay, when the hubs comes home with the nifty cam-phone I will.
Ha, maybe I’ll take it to the show and get her to autograph it!
Even though I knew this was coming since I saw KV and Jane’s tweets a couple of months back, reading the official announcements sucks beyond the telling of it.
OK, there was a long period from about 1984 – 1999 where their presence was sporadic at best, but…I don’t know, maybe it was because I was at a different stage in my life, but that didn’t matter so much to me. I’ve got used to having them back over the past 10 years, and even though I’ve never yet had the chance to see them live (I’ve lived in Spain and the UK), it was comforting just to know they were still out there.
I keep telling myself that they’re all still really busy, making music and doing other creative projects, but….I can’t help it, I’m gutted.