(l-r) Jane Wiedlin, Gina Schock, Belinda Carlisle & Charlotte Caffey
The Los Angeles punk/new wave sensations The Go-Go’s will finally say bye-bye this summer with a 19-date tour. The group had slated a farewell “Happily Ever After” tour in 2010 but had to cancel when guitarist Jane Wiedlin had a hiking accident and required surgery for a knee injury. The 2016 “Go-Go’s Farewell Tour” isn’t quite happily ever after; founders Wiedlin, singer Belinda Carlisle, guitarist Charlotte Caffey and drummer Gina Schock won’t be joined by original bandmate Kathy Valentine, who parted ways with the band in 2013.
The group performed at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards on May 22 by celebrating the 35th anniversary of their hit “We Got The Beat.”
The Go-Go’s formed in 1978, rising out of the Los Angeles punk/new wave scene to become the most successful all-female musical group ever, thanks to hits like “We Got The Beat,” “Vacation,” “Head Over Heels” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.” They remain the only band of women who play their own instruments and write their own songs to top the Billboard charts.
British-based catalog label, Edsel, has reissued the albums Beauty And The Beat, Vacation and Talk Show with B-sides, demos and live recordings.
“After a 38-year run, we are gearing up for one last blast of a summer tour,” says a band statement. “We feel so lucky and so grateful to have had the incredible support of our fans for so long. We can’t wait to get out on the road and give the people what they want: some loud, fast music and a great party!”
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The group played shows after canceling its previous farewell tour and Wiedlin recovered. Valentine eventually split with the other four due to “irreconcilable differences.” She also filed suit against her former bandmates in 2013, charging that they were not paying Valentine her fair share of income from the group venture. She lives in Austin, TX, where she records and performs as a solo artist and with her band The Bluebonnets, and it was announced earlier this month that she will be publishing her memoirs with the University of Texas Press. It’s described as “a coming-of-age story about a girl finding her way in the world through music” in which she will also recount her experiences with The Go-Go’s (and perhaps shed some light on her differences with the other band members).
Get tickets here.
Go-Go’s Farewell Tour 2016
Aug. 2 – Clearwater, Fla., Capitol Theatre
Aug. 3 – Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Broward Ctr. Au-Rene Theater
Aug. 5 – Washington, D.C., Warner Theatre
Aug. 6 – Bethlehem, Pa., Sands Bethlehem Event Center
Aug. 8 – Boston, Mass., House Of Blues Boston
Aug. 10 – Ridgefield, Conn., Ridgefield Playhouse
Aug. 11 – Philadelphia, Pa., The Fillmore Philadelphia
Aug. 13 – New York, N.Y., Rumsey Playfield / Central Park (Summerstage)
Aug. 14 – Asbury Park, NJ, Stone Pony Summer Stage
Aug. 16 – Toronto, Ontario, Massey Hall
Aug. 17 – Huber Heights, Ohio, Rose Music Center At The Heights
Aug. 19 – Highland Park, Ill., The Pavillion At Ravinia Park
Aug. 20 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre (with Huey Lewis and the News, Kool & the Gang, The Fixx)
Aug. 22 – Saratoga, Calif., The Mountain Winery
Aug. 23 – Paso Robles, Calif., Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Aug. 25 – Phoenix, Ariz., Comerica Theatre
Aug. 26 – Las Vegas, Nev., Mandalay Bay Events Center
Aug. 28 – Costa Mesa, Calif., Segerstrom Center For The Arts
Aug. 30 – Los Angeles, Calif., Greek Theatre
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