Once upon a time, Coney Island was one of the most popular go-to vacation destinations in New York. On August 1, people will be flocking to West Twenty-First St. and Surf Ave. for a different kind of vacation. On Thursday night, one of the most popular bands of the 1980s will be playing a free show, as the Go-Go’s take the stage as part of Brooklyn’s Seaside Summer Concert Series. Fans can expect Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, and Jane Wiedlin to play all their hits, including “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Cool Jerk,” “Head Over Heels,” and, of course, “Vacation,” throwing an outdoor dance party that is sure to be hot. The ’80s celebration actually gets going with the Tom Tom Club, consisting of former Talking Heads husband-and-wife duo Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, who scored with such cutting-edge singles as “Wordy Rappinghood” and “Genius of Love.” The concert series, hosted by borough president Marty Markowitz, continues with Huey Lewis and the News on August 15 paying tribute to the thirtieth anniversary of their Sports album and concludes August 21 with Chicago.
Belinda Carlisle and the Go-Go’s didn’t let a little rain spoil the party in Coney Island (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Update: With the rain coming down, threatening to cancel the free Go-Go’s concert in Coney Island on August 1, lead singer Belinda Carlisle took the stage wearing a blue poncho, promising the small but dedicated crowd that the band was determined to go on once things let up. Shortly thereafter, rain still falling, guitarists Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin and drummer Gina Schock walked into the audience, posing for photographs and signing autographs as a way to thank everyone for sticking it out. Eventually, after a two-and-a-half-hour delay, “the most successful all female rock band of all time” hit the stage, tearing through an abbreviated but stellar forty-five-minute set that focused on their most popular songs from the ’80s, along with some rip-roaring covers. Clearly happy that the fans, young and old alike, had waited out the rain and were now ready to dance their soaking-wet hearts out, the Go-Go’s played such innately infectious favorites as “Vacation,” “How Much More,” “Head Over Heels,” “Cool Jerk,” Carlisle’s solo song “Mad About You,” Wiedlin’s Sparks cover “Cool Places,” and “Our Lips Are Sealed,” adding hot versions of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” and KISS’s “Rock and Roll All Night” worked into “We Got the Beat” before paying tribute in the encore to the group that made them want to start a band in the first place, the Ramones, closing out the show with “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Unfortunately, opening act Tom Tom Club didn’t get to play, but the Go-Go’s were in top form, seemingly enjoying themselves nearly as much as the audience. (For pix, go here.)