Tears for Fears were professionalism personified and a clear standout among the lineup. Joined by longtime musical foil Steve Stevens, who played guitar, the fit and trim Idol prowled the stage and got close to the audience during “White Wedding,” the long version of “Flesh for Fantasy” and the always-menacing “Rebel Yell.” In Inglewood, his engaging performance started with the rousing new tune “Light This Party Up.” From there, he displayed impressive guitar (and flower smashing) prowess during “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers” (which included a foray into the crowd) and a ragged but energetic “Love Somebody.” Some pyro was involved, and Aussie teen sensation Cody Simpson played guitar on a fun “Jessie’s Girl.”īlack leather-clad Billy Idol lived up to the lyric of his opener, “Dancing With Myself,” and worked up quite a fist-pumping sweat. Rick Springfield has kept a high profile lately with regular TV, film, literary and music work (his excellent studio album “Rocket Science” came out Friday). Old music videos projected in the background allowed for interesting then-and-now comparisons.Įighties-minded presenters like original MTV VJ Martha Quinn, Paula Abdul, Mario Lopez and actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna drew loud cheers. They kept the momentum going, propelling concertgoers to dance and sing along. With 25-minute sets, everyone basically played wall-to-wall radio smashes. Sponsored by iHeart Radio, in honor of its most popular app, the inaugural iHeart80s Party assembled six pop, rock and alternative hit makers for a high-energy sold-out concert and live simulcast at The Forum. Yet many artists most identified with that era are still going strong and influencing newcomers today. Music purists often consider most ’80s music to be shallow. It’s my favorite state of being and continues to resonate.” … I always feel vulnerable and raw singing this. “We all have that song that starts the journey. Boy George was introducing Culture Club’s first major hit, “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” on Saturday night when he summed up perfectly what it means to be a performer and music fan.

Iheart 80s