The Go-Go’s are having their moment
After premiering a Broadway musical, the reunited band rocks out in Oakland
OAKLAND >> The Go-Go's will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
No, I don't have inside information that leads me to that conclusion. But I do have a strong gut feeling. So, in other words, it's a sure thing. The five GoGo's — Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock and Kathy Valentine — should just go right ahead and book their plane tickets to Cleveland now.
Yes, I know the GoGo's have never even been nominated, even though the band has been eligible since 2005. Doesn't matter. They are getting in next year.
The many reasons why I believe that to be the case were in evidence during the band's soldout show on Thursday at the Fox Theater in Oakland. It was opening night of a short West Coast trek that culminates with a three-show stand, Monday through Wednesday, at the Hollywood Bowl.
The trek also serves as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Go-Go's, which formed as a punk band in 1978.
The moment the reunited band hit the stage in Oakland, opening the 90-minute show with a mighty “This Town” from the classic debut album “Beauty and the Beat,” it was clear just how much this music still means to fans. The smiles from the audience shone nearly as brightly as the stage lights as the group continued into “Vacation,” sending the Fox into full dance party mode.
The music, a trailblazing brand of pop rooted in the L.A. punk scene, has aged incredibly well. Indeed, I
wish that half of what was played on the radio today sounded nearly as fresh and vibrant as what we heard at the Fox.
But that shouldn't surprise anyone, really. After all, these women were true trailblazers, who united to become the first all-female band — who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs — to score a No. 1 album in the U.S. They accomplished that feat with 1981's “Beauty and the Beat,” a commercial smash that became a cornerstone of the decade's new wave movement.
Yet, none of that is new information; even to Hall of Fame voters, who often
seem to have their heads in the sand. And the Rock Hall certainly doesn't have a good track record when it comes to inducting female artists.
But the Go-Go's simply have too much going on in 2018 for these voters to ignore the band's qualifications much longer.
A lot of that has to do with this high-profile reunion, which follows what was supposed to be the band's final tour in 2016. The band's signature lineup — aka, the quintet of players featured on all four of the studio albums — is back together again, with Valentine back in the fold. The bassist had left the group in 2013 and even filed a lawsuit against the GoGo's over revenue issues.
Valentine sounded terrific at the Fox, especially during her signature bass spotlight in “Head Over Heels.” Unfortunately, what was supposed to be the long-awaited chance to see all five Go-Go's performing together onstage didn't exactly turn out the way expected. That's because Schock was still recovering from a recent surgery and was unable to play drums. Her fill-in did quite nicely, but it still will be good to see Schock back at the kit soon. She did show up to the concert, however, to greet the crowd and introduce her bandmates.
But the band has another ace in the hole to help sway Rock Hall voters.
“Hey, you guys, we have a musical on Broadway,” the always exuberant Wiedlin told fans at the Fox.
Of course, many of these fans already knew about “Head Over Heels,” the new musical featuring the songs of the Go-Go's that had a pre-Broadway run at the Curran in San Francisco earlier this year. Now, it's moved to New York and that means the Go-Go's are the toast of the Big Apple.
And where do you think most of the people who vote for the Rock Hall of Fame are based? Good guess.
The biggest benefit of “Head Over Heels,” at least for the band, is that it causes one to re-examine the Go-Go's songbook. Does the music stand up next to what people are use to hearing in Broadway musicals? The answer is, most definitely, yes. That should directly lead to a greater appreciation of the band's songwriting.
And I believe that will be the added push necessary to get the Go-Go's over the hump and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.