ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, AUG. 27, 1982
By Steve Newton
In contrast to the denim and T-shirt crowd [for Blue Oyster Cult] at the Coliseum Sunday, miniskirts and Hawaiian patterns were the popular thing the night before (August 21) when the Go-Go’s brought their catchy brand of fun-time music up from the California surf.
Down on the arena floor, heads bopped in constant unison as the all-girl band rocked out on “Our Lips Are Sealed”, “We Got the Beat”, and their latest hit from the album of the same name, “Vacation”.
A swirling red and blue backdrop displayed liquidy effects, and the lean, brass-tacks sound rolling offstage made me feel like a little kid again. Or maybe it was just seeing all the youngsters about that made me yearn for the carefree days of old. Probably a little of both.
At any rate, the light-hearted lyrics and cheery harmonies of the Go-Go’s were certainly a departure from the echoey guitar and rowdy vocals that regular patrons of the Coliseum have grown to know and love.
Opening for the Go-Go’s were Vancouver’s own Payola$, whose Clashy rebelliousness and punkish stance easily won over the hometown crowd. Songs from their current album, No Stranger to Danger, made up the brunt of the Payola$ set, which included an encore performance of the hit single “Eyes of a Stranger”.