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Review: Belinda Carlisle performs on Long Island in all of her ‘Decades’

On July 18, Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s performed a solo concert at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, as part of her “Decades” headlining tour.

Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle. Photo Credit: Bill Photography
Belinda Carlisle. Photo Credit: Bill Photography

On July 18, Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s performed a solo concert at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, as part of her “Decades” headlining tour.

She commenced her set promptly at 8 p.m. with “(We Want) The Same Thing,” where she came on stage barefoot and had the audience clapping along with her. She was backed by a four-piece band, with no opening act.

“Good evening,” she said, and segued into the up-tempo Go-Go’s standard “Head Over Heels,” where she grabbed the tambourine. Carlisle had the audience clapping with her “on the count of six.”

“How are you?” she asked the fans “This is the last night of Part 3 of the ‘Decades’ Tour. I’m performing material mostly from my solo albums and my ‘Kismet’ EP,” she told the Westbury audience.

The pop-rock songstress continued with “Big Big Love,” her refreshing lead single from her newest EP “Kismet,” which was well-received. It was written by Honorary Oscar winner Diane Warren, whom Carlisle dubbed as “one of the greatest living songwriters,” and Carlisle noted that she instantly fell in love with this new song from the moment that she heard it.

She revealed that she was going to retire from music, but a Facetime call with Diane Warren (that was facilitated by her son who had bumped into the songwriter) convinced Carlisle to release new music, hence her latest musical effort “Kismet” was born.

She took the audience back to 1987 with the smooth “World Without You.” “The next few songs are Diane Warren-penned songs,” Carlisle said. “I wonder if Diane’s ears are singing?”

“I Get Weak” was sultry while blue and fuchsia lights dimmed from the stage. “Circle in the Sand” was comprised of a thumping bassline, intricate guitar work, and crisp vocals.

She took the audience back to 1989 with the expressive and soulful ballad “Vision of You.”

One of the highlight moments was when she treated the audience to “Summer Rain,” which is an underrated power-ballad of hers that doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. Two of her band members joined her on harmony vocals on this tune.

Speaking of new music, she also performed “If U Go,” her latest single from the “Kismet” collection, which she claimed as her personal favorite from the new EP.

It featured a psychedelic backdrop, though the only downside was that the band’s instrumentals were slightly overpowering her during the “If U Go” performance, especially during the choruses.

She continued with the upbeat and unapologetic “Fool for Love,” where people were once again clapping along.

Carlisle shared that she started singing in 1977, and she has worked with such artists as Brian Wilson, Ronnie Spector, Don Henley, Cher, and George Harrison, among others.

Speaking of George Harrison, the late Beatle, she noted that he played guitar for her on “Leave a Light On,” and she performed a version of the song.

She went on to continue with the powerhouse songs of the evening, which included her smash solo hit “Mad About You,” where she got everyone up on their feet. Equally joyous was “We Got the Beat,” her signature tune as part of The Go-Go’s.

“I think a lot of people know this song, sing along, don’t be shy,” she said about “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” and immediately broke into the song, which became the anthem of the night. “I want to hear you,” she told the crowd, as she encouraged them to sing along.

“Thank you very much for coming to see me tonight,” she said. “Good night.”

Encore

For her encore, she waltzed back on stage to serenade the audience to “Runaway Horses,” the title track of her third studio album, prior to throwing a fun Go-Go’s throwback “Vacation,” which was the quintessential singalong.

Speaking of “Runaway Horses,” she declared it as her favorite album of hers, along with her French album “Voila.” “I won’t be singing French songs tonight,” she said while a few fans jokingly responded, “why not?”

A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Carlisle closed with “Our Lips Are Sealed,” yet another fan favorite from her all-female rock group, and on a liberating note with the midtempo “Live Your Life Be Free.”

The Verdict

Overall, Belinda Carlisle still has it after all of these “decades.” Her voice tonight at Westbury was lilting and euphoric, and she even looked as beautiful as ever. Her new music blended well in her set with her timeless hits from her solo albums and from her catalog with The Go-Go’s. It felt like a musical time warp back to the ’80s.

Carlisle has constantly managed to evolve her sound over the years and keep her music fresh and interesting for her fans. It is recommended that one sees her live when she comes to perform in town.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 21,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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