Near the beginning of Belinda Carlisle's concert last night at Penn's Peak, she asked the big crowd "How many of you remember the 80s?" When a roar went up from the fans she remarked, "That's good because I don't remember much."
Carlisle was the lead singer of the 80s punk/New Wave/ pop all-female band, The Go-Go's. They were the first female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments. Their debut album, "Beauty and the Beat" was a smash, but the group never attained such equal success. They were formed in 1981 and disbanded only four years later in 1985.
There have been numerous reunions, including a legendary concert in Central Park in New York City in 2002. Meanwhile, Carlisle had a successful solo career, recording such hits as "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and ""Leave A Light On." She is back, touring sporadically in the States and Europe. She came to Jim Thorpe, Pa. Friday night.
It was the first time I visited the beautiful Penn's Peak venue. It is literally located on a peak, overlooking picturesque Lehigh Valley. The concert hall is small, holding a few thousand people, and make all of wood, both pine and oak. It's raised roof reminded me of a barn or log cabin-type atmosphere. The venue has been nominated for Venue of the Year by Country Music.
It was crowded for Belinda Carlisle but not sold out. She came out precisely at 8:00, her four-piece all-male band i gear. Older guys who can still rock!
After a brief intro snippet of the beach Boys' "California Girls," Carlisle started with "Runaway Horses," the title track from an 80s album, mixing in singles ("Mad About You") with album cuts ("Fool For Love") with Go-Go's songs ("Head Over Heels").
One of my favorites happens to be one of Belinda's favorites, a single called "Summer Rain." There were no covers, the set consisted strictly of her music alone, with or without the Go-Go's.
Belinda , for 61 years old, still has tons of energy, as she danced all over the stage. There wasn't much chatter between songs as she cranked out hit after hit, concluding the main set in a brisk hour and 15 minutes. The fans,a mix of older couples in their 40s and 50s, all-guys or all-females, and a few younger teens thrown in, danced along, clapped and sang and generally just had a blast going back in time.
Her voice was clear and strong, although there were a few sound problems with distortion which were quickly resolved. For the most part she struck pretty much to the records and didn't deviate much from the sound.
Her ending of the set was a rousing trio of "Vacation," "Our Lips Are Sealed," and "Heaven is a Place on Earth." Her encore was strong with "We Got The Beat" and "Live Your Life be Free."
A fun show which brought back memories. 90 minutes tops and the crowd left smiling after all the fun, commenting while going out how much fun it really was.
An extra spacial treat occurred in the parking lot: We tossed our phone sin the car and were getting ready to leave when my girlfriend noted that Belinda was not far away down the lot, signing autographs and taking pictures with about 20 or so fans gathered there.We decided to go over as well, and as I transferred back into my chair, holly still needed to shut the drivers' door. Meanwhile Belinda was parting ways with the small crowd of fans, getting back into a white SUV and waiting for the driver to back out from near the venue.
We just missed seeing her by a split second. Disappointed as the fans dispersed through out the parking lot, I suggested to Holly that we stay and at least wave bye to Belinda when he vehicle passed us.
Slowly the SUV backed out of the fenced-in parking area. I waved, hoping Belinda would see me, despite the tinted windows. She did, waving back and rolling down the windows.
"Do you want a picture?" she asked.
I replied, "Yes, please!" and the SUV stops. Out of nowhere more fans descended on the area, as I guess they were watching her departure from a distance and ran over when they saw the car stopping.
Sure enough, out comes Belinda, smaller then I imagined, still dressed in the same outfit she wore during the concert ( black sweater-top and multi-colored patch-like pants). It was sweet of her to stop and ask, and i was totally star-struck.
She said hi, then warned the approaching fans "I'm only doing this one!" and they backed off.
For some reason, instead of saying "Great show!" I insisted she know my first name, like she really cared.
After exchanging "Nice to meet yous." the pictures were taken and off she bounded back into the SUV and into the night.
A memorable experience and a big, unexpected surprise! And yes, up close, she really is beautiful.
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