Bangles to make first trip to Newton

NEWTON — Super girl band The Bangles make their first trip to The Newton Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m.
It was more than 30 years ago that guitarists Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson and drummer Debbi Peterson formed the Bangles in a Brentwood, Calif.. garage. Their chemistry was undeniable.
“It just clicked,” Peterson said.
The Bangles hit the road in '82 opening for The English Beat, and got signed to Columbia Records. Former Runaways lead singer Michael Steele replaced Annette Zilinskas on bass, and the Bangles began a steady climb to the top.
The band released their first full-length album, All Over The Place in 1984, with the singles Hero Takes A Fall and Going Down To Liverpool, making a splash on college radio.
Opening for Cyndi Lauper's tour exposed them to an ever-widening audience, and helped their 1985 album, Different Light, make a huge impact. Featuring the hits If She Knew What She Wants, the Prince-penned Manic Monday, and the smash dance track Walk Like An Egyptian, the Bangles rocketed to superstardom.
Egyptian charted at Billboard's #1 for four weeks in a row — a feat no other all-female band had ever achieved. A smash national tour, and awards including Single of The Year, Best MTV Video Performance, and a Billboard Music Award helped solidify the band's status.
In 1987, the Bangles recorded a hard rocking cover of Simon & Garfunkel's Hazy Shade Of Winter for the Less Than Zero soundtrack that rocketed to No. 2 on the charts. That summer found the band at the peak of its popularity, and back on the road for the 'Bitchen Summer' international tour. In early ’88, the Bangles released Everything, with two more chart hits: the rocking In Your Room, and the seminal ballad Eternal Flame, which was a No. 1 hit internationally, becoming a romantic classic, performed recently on singing competitions “The Voice” and “American Idol.”
Despite (or perhaps because of) their successes, the band was exhausted, tensions were high, and in 1989 they decided to take an extended hiatus, canceling the rest of their world tour. In 1990, Sony released The Bangles Greatest Hits album.
The band members stayed in touch, but serious talk about reforming the Bangles didn't begin until Susanna’s husband, award-winning director/producer Jay Roach, needed an original song for his film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. In 1999 the girls headed back into the studio to record Get The Girl for the Austin Powers soundtrack, and The Bangles formally announced their reunion in 2000.
In July 2003, the Bangles proudly released the power-pop driven Doll Revolution, their first studio album in more than a decade. In 2005, bassist Michael Steele elected to retire from the band, but drummer Debbi Peterson, and guitarists Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson continued performing and touring internationally.
Remarkably, the Bangles’ second time around has lasted longer than the first, as the three longtime partners harmoniously coexist with their respective husbands and children; making music together is now another familiar, rewarding part of their lives. Much has changed in the lives and careers of Vicki, Debbi and Susanna since that first time they played and sang together in the Hoffs' family garage years ago.
Tickets for The Bangles range from $44.00 to $59.00. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the Box Office at 973-383-3700.