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| Belinda Carlisle @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Belinda Carlisle dazzled a capacity crowd at Napa’s Meritage Resort Friday night with a concert that saw her in non-stop motion as she blended new songs and super hits of her past. Presented as part of the Blue Note Summer Sessions, Carlisle – who celebrated her birthday the day before - admitted that she had been leaning toward retirement when her son ran into songwriter extraordinaire Diane Warren and Warren demanded he get Carlisle on the phone with her. From that call, came the 2023 four-song EP, Kismet and Carlisle went back out on her extensive “Decades” tour.
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| Belinda Carlisle @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Carlisle’s performance showed she’s not nearly ready to be put out to pasture and has much more in common with the “Runaway Horses” she sang about near the end of the show. Taking the stage to “(We Want) the Same thing” she was a whirling dervish of entertainment as arms flew and her feet rarely touched the ground as she spun and danced. Within seconds, she had cast her shoes aside and spent the rest of the night barefoot to go along with her sparkly long skirt and black turtleneck. Decades may indeed have passed since she was the official crush of millions of 80’s teenage boys, but Carlisle still has all the magic in her voice, smile and that unmistakable twinkle in her eyes. She went straight back to those days with The Go-Go’s “Head Over Heels” which got many in the front VIP sections up and dancing.
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| Belinda Carlisle @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
From there, Carlisle dug into her solo successes and it was interesting to note that when they are stacked next to each other, her solo triumphs far outnumber the hit songs that The Go-Go’s had as a collective. “Big Big Love” off the new EP was followed by “World Without You” – another Warren song from way back. “Does anyone remember 1987?” Carlisle asked before the song. “Because I don’t.” From there, mega-hits “I Get Weak” featuring a big guitar solo and “Circle in The Sand” followed. “Vision of You” a ballad that was the fifth single off “Runaway Horses” was next up and Carlisle referenced filming the video in Japan.
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| Belinda Carlisle @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Carlisle introduced “Summer Rain” by sharing “This next song was a big hit all over the world – except here in the United States.” The song was a big romantic number with Carlisle taking advantage of the entirely open middle of the stage. Here supporting guitarist, drummer, keyboardist and bassist were positioned in the far corners of the stage throughout the concert and this enabled Carlisle to dance from one side to the other and constantly keep a connection with the audience. The night was warm and still, so the entirely outdoor venue was comfortable and engaged – no doubt helped by the large amount of Napa’s finest being enjoyed mostly by the bottles and carafes on attendees’ tables.
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| Belinda Carlisle @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Carlisle introduced “If U Go” off the new EP as her first single to chart in a long time. The song leaned heavily on a cool synthesizer sound and was performed with an exuberance and energy that put it near the top of the evening. The big chorus had people heading to the sides of the venue to find room to dance. “Leave a Light On” – a song from “Runaway Horses” that was originally recorded with George Harrison playing lead guitar – was the first of seven straight big hits that Carlisle played to wrap up her show. “Mad About You” saw Carlisle once again dancing and tambourining across the stage as the audience continued to dance. “We Got the Beat” came next and now the entire audience was swinging and swaying to a very fast paced version. To end the regular set, Carlisle encouraged the audience to sing along to a slow, quiet opening of “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.” The crowd’s vocal participation came up audibly shot with Carlisle remarking half-jokingly “That was a mess,” before the full band kicked in and set the song back on the right path.
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| Belinda Carlisle @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Carlisle and her band returned to the stage for a fast version of “Runaway Horses” and then asked the audience “Hey. How about some Go-Go’s songs?” The band kicked into “Vacation” and a quick-paced “Our Lips Are Sealed.” Though some of the punk-era defiance may no longer hang in the songs, Carlisle seemed to not have aged a bit as she moved and sang with all the energy and enthusiasm she displayed in the 80’s. Carlisle introduced her last song as being words of good advice and sent the audience home with “Live Your Life Be Free.”
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| Essence @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Opening the night, San Francisco-born Essence and her band brought a modern country set to the resort crowd. “My name is ‘Essence’ because my parents were hippies. My Dad was an artist in San Francisco and we went to a lot of concerts and festivals when I was younger.” Essence was supported by a strong backing band featuring David Phillips on pedal steel, Gary Kaye on banjo, Danny Uzilevsky on guitar and Joshua Zucker on standup bass. “Good Mom” stood out as the best song of the night (you should definitely check out her terrific YouTube Video). It was a hilarious romp through the typical difficulties of a mother’s day with kids. It had the crowd up, dancing and singing along with its chorus:
I’m a good mom.I wanna get stoned.
I wanna get boned.
I wanna get high as a kite.
I wanna drink whiskey tonight
And I just might.
Gonna’ raise these kids
Get ‘em up and out
And then I can fly.
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| Essence @ the Meritage Resort (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Essence performance was terrifically engaging with songs like “The Gamble” featuring outstanding slide guitar from Phillips and Essence demonstrating superior note-holding vocal abilities and “Love Like Ours” which she dedicated to her late father. “Turn Up the banjo!” she requested before performing “Steel River.” “There’s something you won’t hear often,” she added with a laugh. The crowd gave her a warm round of thank you applause after her supporting set.
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