On Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, The Bangles performed at New York City’s Highline Ballroom. The iconic all-female pop-rock group, consists of Susanna Hoffs and sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson.
Antigone Rising, yet another all-female New York based rock band, opened for The Bangles with their well-received 45 minute mini-concert.
The Bangles’ Setlist
The Bangles opened their set with “Anna Lee” from their newest album Sweetheart of the Sun. It was followed by their classic “Hazy Shade of Winter,” as well as “Some Dreams Come True,” and the crowd-pleaser “Manic Monday,” where Susanna’s vocals were as mellifluous as ever.
Vicki made the opening remarks where she greeted the audience, and noted how much they missed New York; moreover, she revealed that they have a brand new CD out.
Susanna went on to sing “I’ll Never Be Through with You,” and Debbi showcased her attitude on drums on the spitfire “Ball N’ Chain.” It was followed by Vicki singing lead on “The Rain Song.”
Susanna noted that this year marks the “thirtieth anniversary of The Bangles,” and dedicated their hit tune “If She Knew What She Wants,” written by Jules Shear, to her fellow band members and friends, Vicki and Debbi.
Vicki continued with “Restless,” and Debbi went on to sing “Live,” which they dubbed as a song from their “baby Bangles” days. It was followed by “September Gurls,” the title track of their 1995 studio album.
Vicki introduced “He’s Got a Secret” as yet another “old” song, and Susanna performed the groovy “Under a Cloud” from their latest record.
The biggest surprise of the evening was when Fred Armisen from Saturday Night Live came out to play the drums on “Going Down to Liverpool” in lieu of Debbi, where she joined Susanna and Vicki on guitars. Following Fred’s cameo, The Bangles exclaimed “you never know who is going to stop by in New York!”
“Thank you from our collective Bangles hearts for your support,” Susanna said to their fans prior to performing their chart-topping ballad “Eternal Flame.”
Prior to singing “Get the Girl,” they introduced the three male members of their all-girls band, which included their bass guitar and keyboard players, as well as their percussionist.
Vicki dubbed “Open My Eyes” as one of the “obscure cover songs” that they used to sing in their older days. They managed to make this Todd Rundgren-penned tune their own, since all of their voices blended well with each other, and they got the audience singing along to it.
Equally noteworthy were “Ride the Ride,” “In Your Room,” as well as their closing song “Hero Takes a Fall.”
Encore
The Bangles returned for their encore, which consisted of two songs: their multi-week signature song “Walk Like An Egyptian,” as well as Debbi singing a rendition of The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard,” on which Fred Armisen returned to play maracas.
The Verdict
In summation, The Bangles’ Highline Ballroom, New York show was memorable from start to finish. They proved that after thirty years in the music industry, they are still a force to be reckoned with. All three women looked stunning, played their instruments superbly, harmonized well with each other, and managed to introduce their recordings, both old and new, to a new generation of fans.
Their opening act, Antigone Rising, were also remarkable and worthy to be checked out whenever they are in town.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
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