Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock and Kathy Valentine zeroed in on a pop-rock sound that was infectious.
In the spring of 1984, The Go-Go’s released “Talk Show,” with Billboard-charting tunes “Turn To You” and “Head Over Heels.”
That summer’s “Talk Show” tour brought the band to Portland for a show on July 10, 1984, at what was then the Cumberland County Civic Center. The opening act was Australian band INXS.
According to a Portland Press Herald review by freelance writer Jim Sanville, the 90-minute concert was thrilling for the 5,500 fans who were there. “The Go-Go’s charmed all with the evening’s selection of exclusively upbeat pop-rock numbers,” wrote Sanville.
Singer Belinda Carlisle with guitarists Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin in the background at the Cumberland County Civic Center on July 10, 1984. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections and Archives)
Belinda Carlisle. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections and Archives)
Kathy Valentine, left, and Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s tear it up in Portland. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections and Archives)
Drummer Gina Schock keeps the beat at the Cumberland County Civic Center. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections and Archives)
Charlotte Caffey, guitarist and keys player, performs at the Cumberland County Civic Center. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections and Archives)
Bass player Kathy Valentine on stage. (Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer, courtesy Portland Public Library Special Collections and Archives)
Aimsel Ponti is a music writer and content producer for the Portland Press Herald. She has been obsessed with – and inspired by – music since she listened to Monkees records borrowed from the town…
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