It had been a trek to see The Bangles play at the Illinois State Fair on Saturday, in no small part due to a lack of signage at the fairgrounds.
It left my family and me convinced that the mentality must be, “if you’re not from Springfield and you’re lost, you’re shit out of luck.”
After arriving at the fairgrounds and being handed a map that made as much sense to me as if I were a monkey doing a math problem, I wandered with my parents and brother to a long line of people outside what was conceivably some sort of concert venue. The line was far back enough at 6 p.m. - exactly two hours before The Bangles were scheduled to open for Heart - that it made sense this would be the group queued for what had been billed as the biggest grandstand act this year.
Turns out I was wrong.
An hour and fifteen minutes later we’re inside, looking for our seats and wondering when the demolition derby would end. My dad even wondered aloud how they were going to assemble a stage before 8 p.m. Then it dawned on us that we had heard Susanna Hoffs doing a sound check less than 15 minutes ago.
Suddenly the puzzle pieces fit. Shit.
After scrambling to the real grandstand - after an unsuspecting demolition derby worker had already torn our concert ticket stubs, leaving us again to wonder if we’d ever get in to see the show - we finally made it to our seats in the nosebleeds of the fairgrounds’ grandstand area.
The group - currently a trio instead of the four-piece all-girl group from its 80s heyday - came on stage just after 8 p.m. and launched into a rollicking, romping version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Hazy Shade of Winter.”
As with any group, a reduction in band members and a lapse of two decades from their pinnacle often raises doubts about sound quality. From the opening riff of “Hazy Shade of Winter,” the grandstand crowd was captivated.
Although lead singer (and my fantasy, would-be girlfriend) Susanna Hoffs struggled occasionally throughout the set with some of the higher notes, the group played the songs almost flawlessly. There were some jittery moments on “Hazy Shade of Winter” and the second song, the Prince-penned “Manic Monday,” but after that point it was smooth sailing. These ladies hadn’t missed a beat.
(Enter rim shot).
Like most groups who are known for substantial FM radio play in the 80s, The Bangles book ended their set with the hits and put a few lesser known and newer tracks in between. Drummer Debbi Peterson even joined Hoffs and sister/guitarist Vicki Peterson on guitar for “Going Down To Liverpool,” “Eternal Flame,” and the closer, “Walk Like An Egyptian.”
And like many groups trying to keep the music fresh, The Bangles even threw in a few new tricks: a synthesized sitar solo opening “Hazy Shade of Winter,” a seemingly drug-laden harpsichord effect to open “If She Knew What She Wants,” and quite possibly the highlight of the show, a segue into The Who’s “Magic Bus” where the whistle solo should have been halfway through “Walk Like An Egyptian.”
It was a great show for Springfield, and one that proves nostalgia acts can still keep it fresh for themselves and the audience.
The set list was as follows:
Hazy Shade Of Winter
Manic Monday
Restless
If She Knew What She Wants
Some Dreams Come True
September Gurls
Going Down To Liverpool
Eternal Flame
Ride The Ride
In Your Room Tonight
Walk Like An Egyptian
