Go-Go’s Cheer on the Environment

The Scene: Wednesday night at the Universal Amphitheater, where the Go-Go’s, those all-American girl rockers of the early ‘80s, were staging their first concert in six years. The evening was a benefit for the Environmental Protection Initiative, a comprehensive set of stringent laws slated for the November ballot and aimed at cleaning up the state. Top ticket prices were $250, which entitled donors to a backstage party.

The Buzz: Environmental Protection what? Without question, most concert-goers were there to do the pony and the Watusi rather than to listen to ecological rhetoric. Petition signers worked the crowd diligently, but the young audience seemed more interested in snapping up souvenir T-shirts--which sold out quickly.

Who Was There: Jane Fonda, who organized the event; the Havalinas, who opened the show; Sandra Bernhard; Jodie Foster; Rob Lowe; Tatum O’Neal and John McEnroe.

Dress Code: The mix and match crowd opted for mix and match fashions, heavy on the Levi’s and sweat shirts.

Chow: The Hard Rock Cafe provided a buffet of chicken, mini hamburgers, fruit, brownies and non-alcoholic drinks.

Noted: People who would never pay big money for a reunion concert will gladly shell out $250 if the organizers throw in a few dollars worth of free food afterward.

Quoted: Commenting on the drug use that contributed to the Go-Go’s breakup, guitarist Charlotte Caffey said: “Now we’ve got chemistry, not chemicals.”

Triumphs: Like all ecologically concerned concerts these days, the backstage area was filled with separate garbage receptacles for cans, paper waste and unrecyclable trash.

Glitches: Unfortunately, the after party wasted enough fresh vegetables to feed a nation of hamsters by using the green stuff as buffet table garnish.

Sobering Thought: The pop music of the early ‘80s can now be classified as nostalgia. Are we feeling old yet?