LOST 80'S LIVE - A FUN DAY OF FLASHBACKS! - LONG BEACH, CA 8/24/2013

I could never admit to liking any New Wave or Techno music as a teenager. I listened to bands like Metallica, Metal Church and a lot of other bands with the word "metal" in their name. What would my old friends think of me for attending a show like this? The great thing about getting old is that you don't care anymore. Everything is an "oldie" at this point in my life. I was determined to have a great time stepping into the time machine with all the other 40 somethings in attendance.

DJ Richard Blade

I arrived at the event and immediately recognized a familiar voice over the PA system. It was none other than legendary DJ, Richard Blade. For those of you that didn't grow up in Southern California, Richard is a very influential DJ that was on the World Famous KROQ for many years. He has since gone on to host his own show on First Wave, a channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. He is also considered to be THE authority of all things New Wave since he helped break many of the original bands back in the 80's. Richard was hosting today's event by taking song requests from the crowd and doing the band introductions. The day was looking promising!

The Flirts

The Flirts

The live performances kicked off at 2pm with the all girl trio The Flirts. Even though the members have changed several times since the early 80's, the trio's trademark has always been to have one blond, one brunette and one redhead in the band. They started the set with their biggest hit "Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)" and finished with the set with the song "Danger." A quick two song set with a costume change and a lot of dancing. It was short, sweet and a little kitchy.

Gary Myrick


Gary Myrick took the stage looking a like a cross between Brian Setzer and Johnny Cash. This guy can play guitar like he sold his soul to the devil. He was hands down the most talented musician that I would see on stage today. His quick three song set included "She Talks In Stereo" a song made famous for it's inclusion on the Valley Girl soundtrack. He rounded out the show with "The Message Is You" and "Guitar, Talk, Love & Drums." Check out the video below of his performance.



   

Trans-X

Next up was the Canadian techno dance duo Trans-X. Included in their short three song set was the 1983 smash hit "Living on Video." Founding member Pascal Languirand handled the lead vocal duties while newest member Danielle provided background vocals as well as high energy aerobic dance moves that kept the crowd energized. 

Trans-X

Johnny Vatos Boingo Dance Party 

 

This was the act that many people came to see. With the possibility that there may never be an Oingo Boingo reunion, this may be the closet thing that we will ever get. The band includes several former members of Oingo Boingo: Johnny Vatos on drums, Sam "Sluggo" Phipps on Sax, John Avila on bass, Carl Graves on vocals/keyboards and Doug Legacy on keyboards. When the band took the stage the crowd was going nuts. Here's a video of Richard Blade's introduction followed by the song "Who Do You Want To Be?" The second video is for the song "Dead Man's Party."





Johnny Vatos

Set List

Who Do You Want To Be?

Just Another Day

Good For Your Soul

Violent Love

Private Life

Only A Lad

Dead Man's Party

 

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

Judy with DJ Richard Blade

The Lost 80's event was all about having a good time and the vibe was very laid back. Many of the artists and DJ's were more than happy to take photographs and sign autographs. Judy got to the show just in time to meet DJ Richard Blade. I got to meet Pac Man. I wonder if he was mad at me for wearing a Donkey Kong shirt?

Pac Man and Me (sounds like a good sitcom)

Animotion

After a short break the synthpop band Animotion took the stage. They played a five song set that closed with a medley of "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics, "Don't You Want Me" by the Human League ended with their own 1984 smash hit "Obsession." Lead singer Astrid Plane seemed excited to be on stage and took the opportunity to thank the crowd for their support over the years.

Animotion

 

When In Rome UK



When In Rome UK



The band When In Rome UK has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. They really don't have an identifiable face to the band like many of the other acts that performed today. Lead singer Clive Farrington took the stage and seemed a bit overdressed for the afternoon heat. The band borrowed Sam "Sluggo" Phipps from Boingo Dance Party to play Sax during their performance. When In Rome's popularity came a little later in the 80's and it didn't seem like many people in the crowd knew their songs. That all changed once the band played their huge 1988 smash hit "The Promise." The song became somewhat of a drunken sing along during the chorus of "I promise, I promise you, I will." 

Clive Farrington of When In Rome UK

 

Naked Eyes 

 

Pete Byrne

Known as a duo in the 1980's, surviving band member Pete Byrne decided to reform Naked Eyes with a new set of supporting musicians. The band played a nine song set which turned out to be one of the longest sets of the day. They played all the hits including "Lights Go Out," "Promises, Promises," and "Always Something There To Remind Me." We were lucky enough to catch some of Pete's performance in the video below. 

Wang Chung



Jack Hues from Wang Chung

One of the highlights of the night was the great performance by Wang Chung. Singer/Guitarist Jack Hues and bassist Nick Feldman put on a high energy show that had the crowd dancing and singing throughout the six song set. Their musicianship and vocals were fantastic and you got the sense that they still loved playing music together after all the years. They saved the best for last by playing "Dance Hall Days" and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" back-to-back to close out their performance.



80's Costume Contest

 

Former KROQ jocks April Whitney and Sam Freeze hosted a costume contest before Flock of Seagulls took the stage. The crowd got to vote for their favorite flashback outfit. There were many great contestants but the runaway winner was a dude that looked a lot like Pete Burns from Dead or Alive. Here's a shot of him being interviewed by April after his big win. 

 

Flock of Seagulls 



Flock of Seagulls closed out the event with a set of some of the most recognizable songs of the New Wave era. They gave the crowd everything that they wanted and more. Lead Singer Mike Score is the only remaining original member of the band but he has assembled a great group of talented musicians to back him up. Closing out the night with "I Ran" was the perfect way to end a fun day of dancing, drinking and flashbacks.







Set List

Modern Love Is Automatic

Rainfall

The More You Live The More You Love

She Won't Let You Down

Man Made

Space Age Love Song

Telecommunication

Wishing (If I Had A Photograph of You)

I Ran