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Five Thoughts: The Go-Go’s at Mandalay Bay Beach (August 26)

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The Go-Go’s fought the elements at Mandalay Beach.
Photo: Bryan Haraway

1. I don’t feel entirely qualified to review the Go-Go’s set at Mandalay Bay Beach for several reasons, chief among them the fact that I arrived probably halfway into their set. I blame myself, though I have some pretty excellent excuses—including, but not limited to, my unfamiliarity with the venue; this was my first show at Mandalay Beach. Please be gentle.

2. Another reason I feel unqualified: This was my first time ever seeing the Go-Go’s, despite growing up in Southern California during the 1980s. I have no idea if what the band sounded like at Mandalay Bay—tight and professional, but not terribly dynamic—is what they’ve always sounded like. If they’re just going through the motions on this farewell tour, I couldn’t blame them; they’ve given a hell of a lot of themselves over the past … wow, 38 years. Maybe I just caught them on a bad night?

3. Could also be that conditions were unfavorable. The pool in front of the stage was off-limits due to nearby lightning, which meant that the closest person to the stage was still at least 20 yards from the players. And according to a superfan I spoke with, the band cut several songs from its set, probably to accommodate a sound curfew; singer Belinda Carlisle intimated as much near the end of the set.

4. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the show. The band was in good form, particularly drummer Gina Schock—a powerhouse, one of the band’s most underrated elements—and rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Jane Wieldlin, whose sweet, girlish voice hasn’t changed a bit in nearly four decades. Guitarist Charlotte Caffey did much of the heavy lifting, melodically-speaking—she expertly crunched out the band’s signature riffs, both on guitar and keyboards—and Belinda Carlisle was, well, Belinda Carlisle; that’s really all we can ask of one of the most distinctive voices of the 1980s. Carlisle’s voice inspired a generation of followers, from Juliana Hatfield to Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, and she’s still got it.

5. The songs, the songs. Even though there was a physical (and, apparently, psychological) distance between the band and me, it’s impossible not to grin your way through “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “We Got the Beat” and “Head Over Heels.” The band stripped the studio gloss from Carlisle’s 1986 solo hit “Mad About You,” revealing the genuinely sweet love song underneath. And if the venue had a roof, their 1981 cover of The Capitols’ “Cool Jerk” might have brought it down. Above all, I wished that I’d heard them playing these songs in their heyday, when I might have edged closer to the stage, when the clock wasn’t running down and the storm clouds weren’t rolling in.

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