Music News

Vacation’s *not* all they ever wanted: Why the Go-Go’s are back on the road

Getty_GoGos_012820
David Becker/Getty Images for Audible

David Becker/Getty Images for AudibleRemember the Go-Go‘s 2016 farewell tour?  If you do, you may have been confused when, last week, the pioneering female band announced 11 summer concerts.  So what gives?  Well, apparently, this isn’t an actual tour — it’s a special event.

See, the Go-Go’s never actually swore off performing, and in fact, 18 months ago, they played the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate Head Over Heels, the Broadway musical based on their songs. According to Variety, this is a similar situation: A new documentary about the group is set to air on Showtime in the fall, and there are plans to show it in movie theaters this summer to coincide with the tour. 

As guitarist Charlotte Caffey explains, “It’s not a full-scale tour…we did retire from actual touring-touring, but this [documentary] is a special event and it deserves some dates, so we decided to do ‘em.” 

Bass player Kathy Valentine thinks the group’s continued presence — both onstage and in other mediums — is an example of how their story “is going to recur in increasingly more positive, wonderful ways.” As she notes, despite their success, “We do get dismissed and overlooked a lot in the world.”

For example, the band has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite the fact that they’re only all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to ever have a number one album.

Regarding the Rock Hall snub, drummer Gina Schock tells Variety, “I don’t understand why this hasn’t happened, and I hope that it does. We really paid our dues.”

But singer Belinda Carlisle says, “I’m honestly way beyond caring about it. It would be nice. But I don’t give a f**k.”

The tour starts June 25 in San Diego.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.