I’ll have whatever Belinda Carlisle is having…
Does she look fabulous or what? Before you start, I know she’s a musician and we’re here to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her phenomenally good album Runaway Horses, but I’ve got to say, those cheek bones have stood the test of time! Thankfully so has her music.
Pop stars come and go and yet Belinda has remained present for some 30 years! I’ve seen her live only once before and that was last year supporting Culture Club at their Arena gig. It was a reminder of just how many hits she’d had and the reason I was looking forward to seeing her again tonight.
She didn’t disappoint. After The Beach Boys California Girls plays, Belinda flounces onto to stage and launches into the title track of the Album, Runaway Horses. I mean flouncing in a good way. She moves like a cross between a Ballerina and Sandy Shaw, light and graceful (and also without shoes). Wearing loose-fitting shiny trousers and a simple black top, somewhere in the back of my mind I imagine she does yoga (I later read she does). She has that kind of peaceful grace about her. There are no special effects or big screens, just a simple theatre curtain backdrop and some lighting. It’s enough, backed by a tight five piece band, the songs perform the magic as the glamorous singer-songwriter reels off hit after catchy hit with that unique and instantly recognisable blend of gravelly gutsy vocals which over the years have earned her more than twenty top-charting global singles from five albums reaching gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales marks, making her a household name.
The audience is a real mix of ages, though the majority are female, not surprising as her career has spanned almost four decades, most of them adore her and are on their feet from the start. There’s no sitting down as we’re straight into (We Want) The Same Thing. Although we’re treated to the whole of the Runaway Horses album, the set is interspersed with her other hits, such as her first single, the pop classic “Mad About You.
But it was Belinda’s 1987 sophomore album, Heaven on Earth, which was undoubtedly the catalyst in transforming her into a worldwide star and the album’s Grammy-nominated lead-off single, “Heaven Is a Place on Earth,” climbed the top ten in no less than twelve countries while achieving multiple gold and silver certifications. Surprisingly she doesn’t end the night with it. Instead we round the evening (and the second encore) off with phones on torchlight (at Belinda’s request) for Shades of Michaelangelo.
Before that though we sing our way through the rest of the Runaway Horses album and the hits. I Get Weak, Circle in the Sand, Leave a Light On, Live Your Life Be Free and Big Scary Animal to name a few, which she introduces with little stories from throughout her career.
Having recently released The Collection album, Carlisle’s string of ‘80s and ‘90s hits seem set to keep her poised in timeless fame and wonder whilst introducing her to a new audience, who will look at the year the song was a hit, do the math and wonder how the hell she can be 61!
By Tanya Louise
Editor
