The Go-Go's kick off their first major tour. This was the Beautify America Tour.
June & July 1981 Shows
- June 1981 Peppermint Lounge New York City
- June 17 The Roxy, West Hollywood, CA
- July 23 The Keystone Palo, Palo Alto CA
- July 28 Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
Write-ups, Reviews and Mentions
- June 13, 1981 - L.A. Times Homecoming
- June 28, 1981 - L.A. Times Go-Go's Emphasize Fun and Adolescence
- July 26, 1981 - L.A. Times Beauties and their Beats
Los Angeles Times
Homecoming
by Robert Hilburn
Jun 13, 1981
Excerpt from article
Fans of the Go-Go's will have lots to celebrate at the L.A. rock quintet's sold-out homecoming shows Wednesday night at the Roxy...The band's first single for IRS Records hits the stores Tuesday and it's a delightful mix of the sly innocence of '60's girl-pop and the snappiness of today's new-wave style.
June ? 1981
Peppermint Lounge
128 West 45th Street
100 5th Ave (1980 - 85)
article by Robert Hilburn continued
While working in New York on Beauty and the Beat, the GoGos managed to do some live shows that helped chip away further at the East coast sterotype about new L.A. bands lacking heart. The group even broke the house record at the Peppermint Lounge, the club Joey Dee popularized with 'Peppermint Twist in the '60's.
According to Wiki:
The Peppermint Lounge opened in 1958 and was the first rock and roll nightclub in New York City. It was here Go-Go dancing originated in the early 1960s and where the Twist craze went around the world.
The Pep was owned by Shirly Cohen. It was no more than a seedy sailor bar and gay pickup joint located next door to the Knickerbocker Hotel. The house band was Joe Dee and the Starliters.
In 1961 the band's hit Peppermint Twist became #1 on the Billboard chart and stars and soon celebrities were flocking to the Peppermint Lounge.
The original club was sold in 1965 and closed when it lost its liquor license in December of 1965. From 1978 to 1980 it operated as a gay bar called GG Barnum's Room and featured male go-go dancers.
In the 1980s another rock club nightclub opened at the location called the Peppermint Lounge. It featured top rock talent, mainly from alternative rock. In 1982 it moved downtown to 100 5th Ave. and called itself the New Peppermint Lounge. It was the premiere showcase for alternative music on the East Coast. It closed down for good in the mid-1980s.
The Peppermint Lounge was next door to the Knickerbocker Hotel. It held about 174 people, a tiny stage and tiny dance floor. Today it is completely goone, replace with a parking garage, band and hotel.
June 17, 1981
West Hollywood, CA
1981 photo: Lynn Goldsmith
2008 photo: tlc
The Roxy
9009 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA
the Roxy Theater
2008 photo: tlc
January 30 & 31 1981
with the Ventures.
June 17, 1981
with the Unknowns.
By this time the GoGos played the Roxy, they stopped pretending that Kathy Valentine was only a temporary replacement as their bass player. She's in the band. You Go girl!
photo by Michael Ochs/getty images
2008 photo: tlc
July 23, 1981
The Keystone Palo Alto
260 S. California Avenue
Palo Alta, CA.
As dance music and modern rock nudged aside classic rock, the Keystone morphed into the Vortex, a dance hall. Then, in 1989 the club became the Edge owned by Jacek Rosicki.
July 24, 1981
Set List1 How Much More
2 Our Lips Are Sealed
3 Fading Fast
4 Tonight
5 London Boys
6 Automatic
7 Lust To Love
8 You Can't Walk In Your Sleep
9 This Town
10 Cant Stop The World
11 Cool Jerk/
12 /Skidmarks On My Heart
13 MC & Crowd
14
15 We Got The Beat
16 Walking In The Sand
July 26, 1981
Los Angeles Times article
Beauties and their Beats
by Steve Pond
Excerpt from article
As recently as six months ago, the GoGo's - who spent two years moving from a band of inept but spirited musicians to one of the city's brightest hopes.IRS Miles Copeland commented - I've been watching the GoGo's ever since they put out their first single on Stiff...and they were watching us, being very careful. They had numerous labels after them, and I think they were unsure about our small operation...We offered less money than other labels, but offered more understanding and close personal help.A & M Records distributes and houses IRS records. IRS is headedby Miles Copeland and IRS vice president was Jay Boberg. Other IRS bands include the Police, the Cramps, the Dead Kennedys, Oingo Boingo and Wall of Voodoo.IRS signed adventurous new-wave bands but sank little money into advances or recording cost. They could make money by selling 5,000 copies of a record, where copeland says a major label can't break even without selling 50,000.However IRS planned to keep the GoGo's busy. The upcoming tour will take them to 40 cities across the country. They don't foresee any time off til Christmas.Jane Weidland says The Essence of out songs is that they're fun and you can dance to them.
July 28, 1981
Los Angeles Times article
Go-Go's Emphasize Fun in Adolescence
by Robert Hilburn
Excerpt from Hilburn's article
The anticipation for the show was so strong that the first 4,400 tickets for the Palladium concert was sold in just four hours last month. When another 600 tickets under the building's festival-seating arrangement, they too were quickly gobbled up. And this was before the release of the GoGo's new 'Beauty and the Beat' album - the most invigorating collection of spunky teen and female accented rock since Blondie's depub LP in 1977.By the time the group got to the old 'Cool Jerk' the audience was dancing in total celebration.The GoGos are a delightful attraction - one that gives us musch by offering us what many bands today seem to think is so little - a good time.
Support band: the Rockats (sans Levi)
source: lapl photo data base
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