belinda carlisle tour uk

Belinda Carlisle

Former member of California super-babes The Go Gos and a highly successful solo performer in her own right, Belinda has sold over 90 million records more...

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Belinda Carlisle. Were you there?

• Mar 02 Sat Manchester, The AO Arena Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Mar 01 Fri Birmingham, Resorts World Arena Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 29 Thu The BIC, Bournemouth Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 27 Tue Glasgow, The OVO Hydro Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 26 Mon Utilita Arena Cardiff Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 24 Sat Leeds, first direct arena Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 23 Fri Newcastle upon Tyne, Utilita Arena Newcastle Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 22 Thu Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Rick Astley Belinda Carlisle, The Lottery Winners
• Feb 25 2023 Cambridge Corn Exchange Belinda Carlisle The Christians
• Feb 24 2023 Sheffield City Hall and Memorial Hall Belinda Carlisle The Christians

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Belinda Carlisle announces full rescheduled ‘Decades Tour’ with The Christians

Belinda Carlisle will be joined by The Christians for the forthcoming UK leg of her ‘Decades Tour’. 

Originally slated for 2021, the gigs were postponed at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and will now take place early 2023. 

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Performing her biggest hits and fan favourites from throughout her career, Belinda will appear alongside Liverpudlian group The Christians for the shows.  

She says: “I was so upset at being forced to postpone my tour last year that I was determined to try and find a way to make it up to my fans… so this is what we came up with! 

“I am thrilled that The Christians will now be my special guests on this tour and I hope you all feel the same way. 

“They are a fantastic band with a ton of hits and between us we intend to take the roof off! I can’t wait to see you all in February”.

Tickets are on sale now . 

The full list of tour dates is as follows:

3 February – Symphony Hall, Birmingham 4 February – St David’s Hall, Cardiff 6 February – Guildhall, Portsmouth 8 February – New Theatre, Oxford 10 February – The Palladium, London 11 February – Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham 13 February – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend 15 February – Great Hall, Exeter 17 February – Academy, Manchester 18 February – Usher Hall, Edinburgh 20 February – Barbican, York 21 February – G Live, Guildford 23 February – Sage, Gateshead 24 February – City Hall, Sheffield 25 February – Corn Exchange, Cambridge

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Belinda Carlisle Announces 'Decades' Summer Tour Dates

The ”Decades” tour will showcase Belinda’s infectious energy and the mesmerizing, gutsy vocals of her vast catalog.

Belinda Carlisle, the Grammy nominated Rock n Roll Hall of Famer has announced a string of US tour dates that will take the iconic singer-songwriter across North America this July and August.

The trek begins on July 1st in Peachtree City, GA and will hit New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and other towns and cities before winding down in her hometown of Los Angeles August 27th at The Greek Theatre. Most tickets go on sale Friday, February 17th but some venues will have different on sale dates. Please check locally.

The "Decades" tour will showcase Belinda's infectious energy and the mesmerizing, gutsy vocals of her vast catalog comprised of more than twenty top-charting global singles from five solo albums which have reached gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales marks from the last 35 years.

Belinda says "I'm halfway through my "Decades" UK tour as I write this and I'm having the best time playing these songs from my back catalogue for all my fans. I can't wait to come and do the same thing across the US this summer and I really hope to see some of you there".

Belinda is enjoying a resurgence of interest in her solo career with a current sold out tour playing some of the biggest concert halls in the UK, a new collaborative single "Gonna Be You" featuring Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan & Debbie Harry, and her forthcoming brand new EP, Kismet.

This will be her first release of English language pop songs in over twenty five years, songs all written specifically for her by Oscar/Grammy/Golden Globe & Emmy Award winning songwriter Diane Warren.

"Decades" 2023 Tour Dates

Sat - 1-Jul-23 - Peachtree City, GA - Fred Amphitheatre -

Thu - 6-Jul-23 - Sheboygan, WI - Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts -

Sun - 9-Jul-23 - Skokie, IL - - North Shore Center for the Performing Arts -

Tue - 11-Jul-23 - Huber Heights, OH - Rose Music Centre at the Heights -

Fri - 14-Jul-23 - Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent

Sat - 15-Jul-23 - Cohasset, MA - South Shore Music Circus - -

Mon - 17-Jul-23 - New York, NY - Sony Hall

Tue - 18-Jul-23 - Westbury, NY - NYCB Theatre at Westbury

Sun - 20-Aug-23 - San Francisco, CA - August Hall - -

Tue - 22-Aug-23 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues -

Thu - 24-Aug-23 - Ojai, CA - - Libbey Bowl - -

Sat - 26-Aug-23 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center

Sun - 27-Aug-23 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre

More shows will be announced shortly.

In an ever-changing landscape of shifting musical trends, few artists stand the test of time. Belinda Carlisle is one of those rare talents who continues to remain relevant after nearly four decades in the business. Amidst changing tastes, the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter has indelibly touched the hearts of pop fans around the world with her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics.

With a multi-dimensional, internationally acclaimed recording catalog and countless tours showcasing her chameleonic musical prowess, the woman who began her career as co-founder and lead vocalist of groundbreaking all-female new wave/rock band The Go-Go's has amassed worldwide sales in excess of 15 million albums and singles.

The Go-Go's played a pivotal role in setting the tone of 1980s pop with their self-penned, multi-platinum debut album, Beauty and the Beat. Buoyed by Carlisle's unmistakably emotive and edgy phrasing, the international top-10 singles "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat" became enduring anthems for independent women from ages eight to 80 while redefining traditionally restrictive notions of so-called "girl groups."

As a solo artist, Belinda has more than twenty top-charting global singles from five Carlisle albums reaching gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales marks.

Aside from actively engaging in work for non-profit organizations such as PETA and Greenpeace, Belinda is co-founder of the India-based Animal People Alliance, which helps both street animals in distress and impoverished women through fundraising and education.

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LW Theatres

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Belinda Carlisle

FINAL CURTAIN CALL This show is no longer running.

Belinda Carlisle returns to  The London Palladium . With The Decades Tour , the internationally acclaimed recording artist will celebrate her rich musical catalogue and chameleonic musical prowess.

Rock stars come and rock stars go and in an ever-changing landscape of shifting musical trends, few artists truly stand the test of time. Belinda Carlisle is one of those rare talents who does. She continues to remain relevant after nearly four decades in the business, amidst changing tastes the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter has indelibly touched the hearts of pop fans around the world with her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics.

With support from The Christians .

EVENT INFORMATION

Prices displayed include an online per ticket booking fee. All prices include a £1.70 restoration levy.

TIMES 18:45 Doors 19.45 Christians 20.30 Interval 21.00 Belinda Carlisle

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The prices below do not include the price of the seat ticket. 

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• Queue jump on arrival at The London Palladium
• Reserved table 1 hour pre-show and during interval
• Pre-show and interval drinks
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 Alcohol can only be served to and consumed by persons aged 18 years and over. Please ask a member of staff for details about any food allergens. Please drink responsibly.

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*Alternative drinks available.  Alcohol can only be served to and consumed by persons aged 18 years and over. Please ask a member of staff for details about any food allergens. Please drink responsibly. Accessibility Information: Please note, we regrettably cannot provide step-free access to our private suites. Please contact the Hospitality team for further details.

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Pop Icon BELINDA CARLISLE Announces Summer “Decades” Tour Dates

Belinda Carlisle , the Grammy nominated Rock n Roll Hall of Famer has announced a string of US tour dates that will take the iconic singer-songwriter across North America this July and August.  The “Decades” tour begins on July 1 st  in Peachtree City, GA and will hit New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and other towns and cities before winding down in her hometown of Los Angeles August 27 th  at The Greek Theatre.  Most tickets go on sale Friday, February 17 th  but some venues will have different on sale dates.

The ”Decades” tour will showcase Belinda’s infectious energy and the mesmerizing, gutsy vocals of her vast catalog comprised of more than twenty top-charting global singles from five solo albums which have reached gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales marks from the last 35 years.

“ I’m halfway through my “Decades” UK tour as I write this and I’m having the best time playing these songs from my back catalogue for all my fans. I can’t wait to come and do the same thing across the US this summer and I really hope to see some of you there ”. — Belinda Carlisle

Belinda is enjoying a resurgence of interest in her solo career with a current sold out tour playing some of the biggest concert halls in the UK, a new collaborative single “Gonna Be You”  HERE   featuring Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan & Debbie Harry, and her forthcoming brand new EP,  Kismet . This will be her first release of English language pop songs in over twenty five years, songs all written specifically for her by Oscar/Grammy/Golden Globe & Emmy Award winning songwriter Diane Warren. Catch up with Belinda in The Sunday Post –  HERE

Belinda Carlisle “Decades” 2023 Tour Dates

Sat         1-Jul-23               Peachtree City, GA          Fred Amphitheatre

Thu       6-Jul-23               Sheboygan, WI                Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts

Sun        9-Jul-23               Skokie, IL                           North Shore Center for the Performing Arts

Tue        11-Jul-23            Huber Heights, OH          Rose Music Centre at the Heights

Fri          14-Jul-23            Hyannis, MA                    Cape Cod Melody Tent

Sat         15-Jul-23            Cohasset, MA                  South Shore Music Circus

Mon      17-Jul-23            New York, NY                   Sony Hall

Tue        18-Jul-23            Westbury, NY                   NYCB Theatre at Westbury

Sun        20-Aug-23          San Francisco, CA            August Hall

Tue        22-Aug-23          Las Vegas, NV                  House of Blues

Thu       24-Aug-23          Ojai, CA                             Libbey Bowl

Sat         26-Aug-23          Anaheim, CA                    Honda Center

Sun        27-Aug-23          Los Angeles, CA               Greek Theatre

More shows will be announced shortly.

About Belinda Carlisle In an ever-changing landscape of shifting musical trends, few artists stand the test of time. Belinda Carlisle is one of those rare talents who continues to remain relevant after nearly four decades in the business. Amidst changing tastes, the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter has indelibly touched the hearts of pop fans around the world with her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics.

With a multi-dimensional, internationally acclaimed recording catalog and countless tours showcasing her chameleonic musical prowess, the woman who began her career as co-founder and lead vocalist of groundbreaking all-female new wave/rock band The Go-Go’s has amassed worldwide sales in excess of 15 million albums and singles. The Go-Go’s played a pivotal role in setting the tone of 1980s pop with their self-penned, multi-platinum debut album,  Beauty and the Beat.  Buoyed by Carlisle’s unmistakably emotive and edgy phrasing, the international top-10 singles “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat” became enduring anthems for independent women from ages eight to 80 while redefining traditionally restrictive notions of so-called “girl groups.”

As a solo artist, Belinda has more than twenty top-charting global singles from five Carlisle albums reaching gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales marks.

Aside from actively engaging in work for non-profit organizations such as PETA and Greenpeace, Belinda is co-founder of the India-based Animal People Alliance, which helps both street animals in distress and impoverished women through fundraising and education.

Connect with Belinda here:

Instagram  HERE

Facebook  HERE

Twitter –  HERE

YouTube –  HERE

Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.

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Belinda Carlisle: The Decades Tour

• Get tickets

Rock stars come and rock stars go and in an everchanging landscape of shifting musical trends, few artists truly stand the test of time. Belinda Carlisle is one of those rare talents who does. She continues to remain relevant after nearly four decades in the business, amidst changing tastes the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter has indelibly touched the hearts of pop fans around the world with her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics.

With ‘The Decades Tour’ the internationally acclaimed recording artist will celebrate her rich musical catalogue and chameleonic musical prowess.

Event Guides

Southend portrait artist, bookstart storyrhymes at southend libraries, explore southchurch, indoor sports, outdoor sports, attractions.

BOOKING LINE

0203 356 5441, rescheduled date - belinda carlisle: the decades tour.

• EVENT INFORMATION
• Date : Mon 20 Feb 2023
• Time : 7:30pm

Belinda Carlisle has postponed her ‘Decades’ tour, which was originally scheduled at York Barbican for 14 Oct 2021. The show will now take place on 20 Feb 2023.

All tickets remain valid for the new date, please get in touch with your point of purchase if you have any questions.

Rock stars come and rock stars go and in an everchanging landscape of shifting musical trends, few artists truly stand the test of time. Belinda Carlisle is one of those rare talents who does.

She continues to remain relevant after nearly four decades in the business, amidst changing tastes the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter has indelibly touched the hearts of pop fans around the world with her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics.

With ‘The Decades Tour’ the internationally acclaimed recording artist will celebrate her rich musical catalogue and chameleonic musical prowess.

Belinda Carlisle will be joined on tour by The Christians as special guests.

• Date: Mon 20 Feb 2023
• Time: 7:30pm
• Sorry, this event has now passed and ticket sales are no longer available .
• HOSPITALITY OPTIONS
• Exclusive hospitality options available for this event with York Barbican. MORE INFORMATION
• EXTRA SHOW INFO

U14's Must Be Accompanied By An Adult.

Venue Doors: 6:30pm

Show starts: 7:30pm

Belinda Carlisle tour dates

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• Concertful ranking: #3714
• Category: Pop Music / Soft Rock

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Belinda Carlisle - The Decades Tour

Belinda carlisle embarks on a 16-date uk tour in winter 2023 to mark 35 years as a solo artist and stops off at the usher hall on saturday 18th february.

About Belinda Carlisle - The Decades Tour

Rock stars come and rock stars go and in an everchanging landscape of shifting musical trends, few artists truly stand the test of time. Belinda Carlisle is one of those rare talents who does. She continues to remain relevant after nearly four decades in the business, amidst changing tastes the gifted and glamorous singer-songwriter has indelibly touched the hearts of pop fans around the world with her unique blend of gutsy vocals, emotively charged melodies and picturesque lyrics. With ‘The Decades Tour’ the internationally acclaimed recording artist will celebrate her rich musical catalogue and chameleonic musical prowess.

Find Tickets

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Philharmonia Orchestra Residency: Family Concert

Our Festival Director Nicola Benedetti joins Philharmonia as solo violinist in this family-friendly rendition of an instantly recognisable piece of classical music.

The Ultimate Boyband Party Show

Pop on your Kangol hat and cargo pants, dust off your glow sticks, and Get On Up for an evening you’ll never forget at The Ultimate Boyband Party Show in the Usher Hall!

The Magic of Motown

Get ready for the biggest Motown party of the year when The Magic of Motown returns to the stage at the Usher Hall!

Sir Ranulph Fiennes: Mad, Bad and Dangerous - CANCELLED

Spend an evening in the company of the extraordinary Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE as he goes beyond his record-breaking achievements to explore the man behind the myth.

John Bishop: Back At It

Comedy superstar John Bishop is getting Back At It – doing what he does best - with a new UK stand-up tour for 2024 and brings it to the Usher Hall Edinburgh on 14th September!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert

Relive the Star Wars magic on the big screen as Scotland's National Orchestra brings John Williams' Oscar-winning score to life in this powerful multimedia experience at the Usher Hall!

Marc Almond

Marc Almond will follow the release of his new album ‘I’m Not Anyone’ with a major UK headline tour in September and brings it to the Usher Hall on Saturday 21st!

Ryan Adams: Solo 2024

Ryan Adams returns to the UK in 2024 with a date at the Usher Hall on Sunday 22nd September!

It’s a Beautiful Noise

Brand new for 2024, the Orchestral Edition of It’s a Beautiful Noise is touring Europe's top theatre venues and stops off at the Usher Hall on Tuesday 24th September!

THE THE have announced four major UK headline concerts for September 2024 with a date at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on the 25th!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Mahler Two

Join the RSNO for the spectacular opening to their Concert Season and experience a super-sized RSNO and the massed voices of the RSNO Chorus perform some of the most heart-lifting music ever composed!

British music legends Squeeze have announced they will return to the Usher Hall on 9th October as part of their 50th Anniversary Tour!

Dancing in the Streets

Get ready for an unforgettable night reliving the iconic sound of Motown when Dancing in the Streets comes to the Usher Hall on Thursday 10th October!

Art pop and rock icons 10cc, have announced the addition of a further 25 concerts to their The Ultimate Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour for Autumn 2024 with a date at the Usher Hall on 12th October!

The Pretenders are excited to announce a headline theatre tour across the UK with a date at the Usher Hall on the 16th October!

Come What May

Come What May, the ultimate tribute to Moulin Rouge & other hit movie musicals, comes to the Usher Hall on Thursday 17th October!

Fairground Attraction

After an absence of 35 years, all four original members of 80s band Fairground Attraction have reunited for a 14-date UK tour which will see them play Edinburgh's Usher Hall in October!

Dick and Angel: Forever Home (avec le nitty gritty)

Spend an entertaining evening with the stars of Channel 4 hit Escape to the Chateau, Dick and Angel Strawbridge, and experience the Chateau like never before!

Jon Ronson’s Psychopath Night

Join Jon Ronson at the Usher Hall for an electrifying journey into the enigmatic world of psychopaths and the perplexing concept of normalcy!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

Grand and dramatic, Beethoven's Emperor Concerto has been winning the hearts of audiences for over 200 years and the RSNO can't wait to share the experience with you!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: The Haunted Concert Hall

You can expect lots of spooktacular treats from the RSNO and the Youth Chorus with this spine-tingling concert for the whole family at the Usher Hall!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Sibelius Seven & Nordic Music Days

With startlingly beautiful new sounds from Copenhagen and Glasgow, prepare to be astonished when the RSNO presents Sibelius Seven and Nordic Music Days!

Jane McDonald

Star of stage and screen and singing sensation Jane McDonald will bring the 'With All My Love' tour to the Usher Hall on Saturday 2nd November!

Whitney Queen of the Night

Direct from The West End, Whitney – Queen Of The Night is back for 2024 celebrating the music and life of one of the greatest singers of our time at the Usher Hall on 3rd November.

An Evening with Fran Lebowitz

Fran Lebowitz, the star of Netflix's Pretend It's A City, will be live in conversation at the Usher Hall on Monday 4th November!

RSNO Final Symphony

Final Symphony, the award-winning concert experience of stunning orchestral suites based on the music from video games FINAL FANTASY VI, VII and X, comes to Scotland for the very first time.

The Vintage Explosion

Don't miss this chance to see viral sensations The Vintage Explosion, live at the Usher Hall, before they go global!

The Forth Awards

The Forth Awards return to the Usher Hall on 14th November. The ceremony recognises those living in our community as well as some of the biggest names in music & entertainment.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Carmina Burana

Expect great tunes, unstoppable rhythms and some thoroughly bad behaviour when the RSNO bring Orff's outrageous Carmina Burana to the Usher Hall!

King Creosote

Equally commanding whether playing live to capacity crowds or serenading fans in the fishing pubs and pottery shops of Crail and Anstruther, don't miss King Creosote at the Usher Hall!

Paddy McGuinness: Nearly There…

One of the country’s best-loved and most popular comedians Paddy McGuinness has announced a major UK tour with a date at the Usher Hall on Sunday 17th November!

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Don't miss a special evening when Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit play the Usher Hall on Wednesday 20th November!

The Australian Pink Floyd

The Australian Pink Floyd Show have announced a brand-new tour for 2024 celebrating all the greatest hits of Pink Floyd and bring it to the Usher Hall on Saturday 23rd November!

Fairytale of New York - Coming Home For Christmas

After three sell out tours, the ultimate Irish-inspired Christmas concert returns to the Usher Hall with an even bigger production for 2024.

Rat Pack - A Swingin’ Christmas at the Sands

The stars of ‘The Rat Pack - Swingin’ at the Sands’ will be bringing the ultimate Christmas party to the Usher Hall on Tuesday 26th November!

Christmas with Anton Du Beke

Embark on a dazzling journey into a festive wonderland as Strictly's one and only Anton Du Beke brightens up your Christmas with his brand new show – Christmas with Anton Du Beke!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake

With Music Director Thomas Søndergård on the podium, this RSNO concert promises to be full of good stories and even better tunes!

Blazin’ Fiddles with Karen Matheson

Blazin’ Fiddles - Scottish Folk Band of The Year - return to the Usher Hall for their third annual St Andrew’s night spectacular with very special guest Karen Matheson!

An Audience with Monty Don

Join BBC Gardeners' World presenter and gardening writer, Monty Don, as he shares his passion for gardens and the unique role they play in human inspiration and wellbeing.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Dvořák’s New World Symphony

Dvořák’s New World Symphony is a truly epic song of nostalgia for the old world and hope for the new!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: A Christmas Carol

Children's Classic Concerts pulls out all the stops in their orchestral retelling of the festive classic... Scrooge surely won't be able to resist this sparkling celebration!

Fat Freddy’s Drop

Aotearoa New Zealand’s hi-tek soul machine Fat Freddy’s Drop returns to Europe in 2024 for a new studio album release tour, with a date at the Usher Hall on Wednesday 11th December 2024.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Home Alone In Concert

The iconic Christmas family film Home Alone will be brought to life at this special screening featuring live music from the RSNO at the Usher Hall.

Experience a spectacular musical journey with Midge Ure's Catalogue: The Hits Tour at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on Saturday 14th December!

The Bootleg Beatles

Regarded the world over as being the Gold standard of Tribute, the Bootleg Beatles return to the Usher Hall this Christmas for another nostalgic whirlwind trip through the sixties.

RSNO Christmas Concert Featuring The Snowman

Join the RSNO this December for a special feast of Christmas cheer! Still Game’s Sanjeev Kohli will narrate our popular screening of the magical film!

The Scottish Fiddle Orchestra

Join in the fun and enjoy the party atmosphere of a traditional Scottish Hogmanay at the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra's annual festive concert!

The Drifters

The Drifters are back on the road in the UK performing their classic hits from the last six decades, catch them at the Usher Hall on 4th January!

Murder: Staged

Following the success of Crime Viral's sell out UK serial killer tour, Cheish Merryweather will bring Murder: Staged to the Usher Hall on Saturday 18th January!

Pretty Vacant

Pretty Vacant - The Story of Punk and New Wave is THE stage show not to be missed and it's coming to the Usher Hall on Tuesday 28th January!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony

If music is the food of love, then the RSNO have a feast for you this Valentine's as they serve up Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony the Pathétique.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Mahler Nine

In a highlight of their Concert Season, Music Director Thomas Søndergård leads the RSNO through a wonderland of hymn tunes, Viennese waltzes, half-remembered songs and distant trumpets!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Top Gun: Maverick

Feel the need for speed with the Scottish premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in concert with Scotland’s National Orchestra.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto

With Lionel Bringuier conducting, this concert will be electric, from Louise Farrenc's powerful overture to Bartók's technicolour workout for the whole band: the explosive Concerto for Orchestra!

James Martin Live

Celebrity chef James Martin is heading back on the road with his all new LIVE tour for 2025 and stops off at the Usher Hall on Sunday 9th March!

Jason Donovan

Jason Donovan has announced his 'Doin' Fine' tour, celebrating 35 years of his remarkable career, don't miss it when it comes to the Usher Hall on March 17th 2025!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Clyne & Rachmaninov: Dance!

Expect an emotional evening and a concert full of tunes that will make you want to dance courtesy of the RSNO!

RSNO Presents: St Mary’s Music School Showcase

Come and enjoy this exciting concert showcasing some of the finest young musicians in Scotland, giving you a captivating glimpse of the stars of tomorrow.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Uprising

No composer makes a story come to life like Jonathan Dove and his brand-new staged opera Uprising featuring the RSNO's community of singers!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Shostakovich Eight

Jonathon Heyward conducts and joins an RSNO favourite, saxophonist Jess Gillam, in a thriller from Anna Clyne: an Irish legend of banshees and night terrors, told in music like you've never heard.

Giovanni - The Last Dance

Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice returns to Edinburgh in 2025 with his tour The Last Dance!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Mozart’s Requiem

Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Hahn joins the RSNO Chorus and a terrific team of guest singers to bring the legend of Mozart's Requiem to life!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: The Music Of John Williams

Join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for a full-scale symphonic tribute to movie composer John Williams at the Usher Hall on Friday 2nd May!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Night-Sky-Blue

Håkan Hardenberger performs the Scottish premier of night-sky-blue at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on Friday 9th May!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Wagner’s Ring Symphony

This orchestral 'adventure' with the RSNO gives you a taste of Wagner's Ring Symphony – all its majesty, power and drama – in just over an hour!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto

Young American violinist Randall Goosby, the RSNO's Artist in Residence, will perform Mendelssohn's magical Violin Concerto at the Usher Hall on Friday 30th May!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra: Spectacular Shostakovich

Join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for Spectacular Shostakovich a tribute to the composer on the 50th anniversary of his death.

Wet Wet Wet

Wet Wet Wet have announced a huge tour of the UK for 2025 which will see them perform at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on Saturday 11th October!

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Belinda Carlisle on punk, cocaine, body image and Buddhism: ‘I was born a little bit of a rebel’

As the singer for pioneering all-female band the Go-Go’s, Carlisle took on a sexist music industry – at a cost. She talks about overcoming addiction, the media’s obsession with her weight and finding happiness in her 60s

I t hardly matters – who really cares about these things? – and yet it does. This year the Go-Go’s will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and earning a place at the museum in Cleveland, Ohio, for all its naffness, is still a mark of influence and recognition. “I always said: ‘Fuck them, I don’t care,’” says Belinda Carlisle, the band’s lead singer. “But when it actually happens, it’s: ‘Oh, this is not so bad.’”

The Go-Go’s have had a reappraisal in the past year, thanks mainly to a documentary by the film-maker Alison Ellwood. It tells the story of how these scrappy young LA punks put together a band (the lineup shifted until arriving at the current five members) and made history – incredibly, they are still the only female band who write their own music and play their own instruments to have reached the top of the US album charts. That was in 1982. As with many female artists, belittled for years by the male-dominated music industry and press, the recognition feels long overdue.

The documentary also refocuses perceptions of Carlisle. After leaving the Go-Go’s, she became a glossy pop star, but I love seeing the older images of her wearing a bin bag dress, or facing down sexist thugs while on an early UK tour supporting Madness. On the phone from her home in Bangkok, Carlisle, now 64, is warm and unguarded. She laughs at the memory, but also adds it was “very intimidating. We would come off stage crying.” But that tour, and the kudos they had earned on the US new wave scene for touring Britain’s ska clubs, was the turning point for the band. “It exploded after that,” she says.

Until then, record companies refused to see the potential for the Go-Go’s, even if executives would go to their shows and see their adoring fanbase. “There had never been a female band that had been successful on a large level so they couldn’t think out of the box,” says Carlisle. “There had been the Runaways, and Fanny, on a cult level, but not mainstream. We never thought in terms of gender – we didn’t want to be a good ‘female band’, we wanted to be a good rock’n’roll band. Thank God for Miles [Copeland, who signed them to his label]. He understood us.”

Why has no all-female band matched their achievement in nearly 40 years? “I really have no idea,” says Carlisle. “I don’t think it has to do with sexism, because something like the Go-Go’s, with the right material, could be huge. But you need a record company that really loves music, and a lot don’t nurture their artists like they used to.”

The music landscape is so different now, with bands having lost ground to solo artists. In the DIY spirit of the 1970s, says Carlisle, “There were tons of clubs to play in and learn as you went along, and a scene that supported bands that were horrible, like us, in the beginning.” And for female artists, she points out, there is so much pressure to be polished and sexy in a way the Go-Go’s never were. They played at the Billboard awards in the US a few years ago, and sat watching the younger female artists perform. “We’re no prudes – we’ve seen everything and done everything. But it was so sexualised. It’s an industry run by men. I don’t see the empowerment in sexualising music that women perform.”

Growing up in Thousand Oaks, a city just outside Los Angeles, all Carlisle wanted to do was travel the world, and as a teenager, she thought being a rock star would be a good way to do it. The oldest of (eventually) seven, in a volatile household, she wanted to escape. Her stepfather was an alcoholic whose idea of discipline was a beating – years later, he sobered up, and, Carlisle says, “there were a lot of amends made”. But as a child, it left her with a drive to show him, and others, they were wrong. “I wanted to prove that I wasn’t stupid, I wasn’t a loser, I wasn’t what they said I was.” She was “a nightmare” teenager, she says: “Hitchhiking, running away, dropping acid. But at the same time, I was a cheerleader, so I managed to be both people. I was born a little bit of a rebel, and that was one of the reasons punk music appealed to me.”

When she moved to LA at 18, she embraced the city’s new punk scene, a small community at that point. “We’d have parties, we’d show up at the same clubs. I lived in a punk rock commune for a couple of years with Jane [Wiedlin, guitarist and Go-Go’s co-founder] – this derelict building in the bad part of Hollywood, and it was all bands and music. And drugs, of course. There were about 50 of us who were the original, I guess, Hollywood punks. I’m so lucky to have experienced that.”

Carlisle had been in two bands before the Go-Go’s formed. They had no idea what they were doing – Charlotte Caffey, their guitarist, was asked to join “because she knew how to plug a guitar into an amp. That was what was great about the scene – you got a lot of support and even got guitar lessons from other bands. We just had a blast, it was a girls’ club. No guys allowed, no boyfriends. We had girl roadies, female management.” To go, as she puts it, “from zero to 100 in three years” felt like an explosion.

Their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, gave them two of their biggest hit singles, We Got the Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed. Drugs had been a problem for the band virtually from the start. In her 2010 memoir, Carlisle wrote that she was always “scared shitless – scared that I wasn’t any good and the audience would see me as the fake I feared I might be”. So drugs and alcohol helped. “I don’t think I ever went on stage completely sober for years and years,” she says now. Reading her book, it sounds as if she had impostor syndrome. “I felt like that for quite a long time,” she says. “When the Go-Go’s album went to No 1, I remember sitting in my kitchen, and I was on a bender, thinking: ‘I can’t believe it, I don’t deserve this.’ Maybe it’s because it happened so quickly. I think it also had to do with my issues from growing up and feeling uncomfortable in my skin.”

She says she knew she was in trouble with drugs “from the very beginning”. “I always had that little voice: ‘What are you doing?’” In the early days, she was “an acid head. But when I was introduced to coke, I thought: ‘Oh my God, when I get money, I’m going to buy lots of this.’ And I did.” She laughs. Three years after their album hit No 1, Carlisle had spent most of her money on drugs, clothes and, of all things, a racehorse.

Not to glamorise it, but it does sound wild. At a party for the band in New York, Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol turned up. Rod Stewart threw a party for them in Rio; Carlisle spent much of the night driving around the city looking for cheap cocaine. As rock legend has it, Caffey partied so hard that even notorious hellraiser Ozzy Osbourne once threw her out of his dressing room. “Oh my God, I had a great time,” says Carlisle. “I had a complete blast, but it does become a problem normally at some point. It was fun until it stopped being fun, and then it just became a real fucking nightmare.” Drugs were one of the reasons the band broke up. “I mean, everybody was just off their trolley,” she says.

Another reason was money. As songwriters, Caffey, Wiedlin and bassist Kathy Valentine earned more than Carlisle and drummer Gina Schock, which caused a lot of ill-feeling. “I can see both sides,” says Carlisle. She acknowledges that the song is vital, “but at the same time, you can’t really quantify what it is that makes the Go-Go’s. All of us equally busted our asses.” Although she admits that, at the time, “I was incapable of being creative. I couldn’t really find it in me to ask for what I thought was fair because I was such a mess.”

Carlisle managed to stop taking cocaine around the time she launched a solo career. It sounds as if it was a bit of a shock to be out on her own. Under greater scrutiny than ever, she was told she would be more successful “if I was a lot sexier, and sang songs like ‘stick it in me’. That’s literally what one person said. I was horrified, because that had never happened before. No man would ever have told the Go-Go’s to do that.” The media, too, became even more obsessed with Carlisle’s size; she had often been called the “plump” one of the band, but being marketed as a pop star came with added pressure, and she ended up developing an eating disorder. “It was horrible. I look back now, and I was normal – I would fluctuate in weight and that was never an issue. I think one of the things that people loved about the Go-Go’s was we were normal girls. But when you’re that young, and weight was always mentioned when I was in the paper, that really messes with your head. That was one of the reasons I got into drugs, because I could keep my weight down.”

Although the Go-Go’s always had a commercial flavour, Carlisle’s solo career was pure 80s pop. Did she not want to have more of a punk edge? “I grew up with California radio,” she says. “I didn’t really feel that it would be authentic to do a punk album, but I thought I’d go back to my really early roots of growing up with the radio on – I would lie in front of the speaker and sing along to all the hits. I just loved those really melodic, lush productions.”

Her debut album was successful, but when her second album came out in 1987, with its hit single Heaven is a Place on Earth, it made Carlisle a huge star; then the pressures and temptations of touring got too much. By the time she was working on her fourth album, which flopped, Carlisle was back on cocaine, pausing only while she was pregnant with her son. She was dropped by her record company the day before she turned 40: “I was in a really bad place from age 40 to 47,” she says. She kept working, including occasional Go-Go’s reunions, but she says she can’t listen to her 1996 album A Woman and a Man, “because it brings back really bad memories of where I was at. I could have phoned it in and done a better job.”

Carlisle and her husband, the film producer Morgan Mason, lived in the south of France with their son, and Mason was reaching his limit; Carlisle had made attempts to get well, but never stuck to it. “It was a horrible cycle. I was just sick of the lies and the drama, and I hated myself,” she says. It came to a head in London in 2005, when she was recording an album of French songs; she didn’t show up for rehearsals, instead going on a cocaine binge in her hotel room. She had the sudden realisation that she could die there, alone. “I just knew that it was only a matter of time before I died,” she says.

Back home in France, she decided to stop everything. “I went out, got a big bottle of wine to celebrate my sobriety, and then the next morning, I woke up and that was it. I was over cigarettes, over pills, over everything. I just stopped and got myself some help.” Carlisle joined AA, and managed to finish her record. “That album got me through the early days of sobriety. I was able to be creative, and I didn’t really care if anybody ever heard it.”

Those years, while being extremely difficult, were also “the beginning of the most interesting part of my life”, she says, “because I’d always been defined by what I did for a living”. The Dalai Lama’s book The Art of Living helped, and Carlisle read a lot about Buddhism; a few years earlier, she had embraced the practice of chanting to help quiet her mind. “I was doing a lot of soul-searching. I wanted to connect to something bigger than myself.”

These days Carlisle seems pretty healthy – she is up at 4am to do yoga or pilates. “I have a very active life,” she says. “I never really had that from the ages of 17 to 47.” Impressively, her marriage survived – she and Mason have been married for 35 years. Seven years ago, they moved to Bangkok on the advice of friends (their son, James, now grown up, lives in the US). She loves the city’s energy. “I don’t know if we’ll be here for ever, because that’s not our nature, but in the meantime, we really enjoy it. It’s a very exciting city.”

Carlisle is working on a new album, and there is a UK tour this autumn. “I would never, ever have thought that I would still be working at this age, but I still love to do it,” she says. The Go-Go’s – newly, and finally, lauded – will probably play some dates, too, having forgiven and forgotten the feuds over the years (at least one of them ended in a lawsuit).

What has she learned about making relationships work? “I’m still trying to figure it out, 40-odd years later,” she says with a laugh. “It’s familial. It’s not colleagues, it’s sisters. I know that we all love each other but the dynamics are really complicated. We may have taken others within the band for granted; we do not do that now. Forgiveness is important.” Still, she says, “it’s kind of tumultuous”; one of them is always in trouble with the others. “It’s not me this week,” she says, sounding relieved. But, contrarian and rebel that she is, there is also the barest touch of regret.

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Belinda Carlisle Maps Out Decades Summer Tour Across the U.S.

by Alli Patton February 17, 2023, 12:55 pm

Go-Go’s alum Belinda Carlisle has announced a summer of traversing North America for her career-spanning Decades Tour.

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The Grammy-nominated Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will traipse across the U.S., taking on stages across the country beginning on July 1 in Peachtree City, Georgia, before winding down in her hometown of Los Angeles, California, on August 27.

“I’m halfway through my ‘Decades’ UK tour as I write this and I’m having the best time playing these songs from my back catalogue for all my fans,” Carlisle shared in a statement. “I can’t wait to come and do the same thing across the US this summer and I really hope to see some of you there.”

Her excitement has been echoed in several of her social media posts, chronicling her recent stint in the United Kingdom. “I have to say I’m having the time of my life on this tour,” she wrote in the below Instagram post. “I think the joy is obvious in this photo…”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Belinda Carlisle (@travels_with_mrs_mason)

Carlisle, alongside fellow musical icons Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, and Debbie Harry, recently released the single, “Gonna Be You,” for the upcoming film, 80 For Brady .

Most of the tickets for her Decades tour are on sale now. See a list of recently announced dates below. More shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

2023 Tour Dates

Jul. 1 – Peachtree City, GA @ Fred Amphitheatre Jul. 6 – Sheboygan, WI @ Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts Jul. 9 – Skokie, IL @ North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Jul. 11 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Centre at the Heights Jul. 14 – Hyannis, MA @ Cape Cod Melody Tent Jul. 15 – Cohasset, MA @ South Shore Music Circus Jul. 17 – New York, NY @ Sony Hall Jul. 18 – Westbury, NY @ NYCB Theatre at Westbury Aug. 20 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall Aug. 22 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Aug. 24 – Ojai, CA @ Libbey Bowl Aug. 26 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center Aug. 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre

Courtesy of Ken Phillips Publicity Group, Inc.

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