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LADIES ‘80s NIGHT
Missing Persons & Tiffany
Live at Garden Amp
June 21st, 2026 Review by Bruce R Kilgour
A nostalgic and fun throwback to the ‘80s MTV era hit Garden Grove on a recent warm Sunday night. The promise of full sets by the iconic pop star Tiffany and new wave legends Missing Persons brought out a lively crowd of devoted fans of both acts. This reviewer spotted dozens of Tiffany shirts present in what at times looked like a big “girls’ night out” party.
Orange County based tribute band Pretty in Pink kicked things off with a set of Psychedelic Furs hits that pumped up the crowd for the main acts. Vocalist Andy Singer is well known for his amazing sonic resemblance to the Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler.
Shortly after 8 p.m., MC Julian Douglas – AKA “Mr. ‘80s” – introduced Tiffany with an enthusiastic recap of her nearly four decades of multi-platinum success. A brief video intro played behind her band before she launched into “Hey Baby” from her 2022 album “Shadows.” Tiffany explained to the crowd that this was close to a hometown show for her – being born and raised in nearby Norwalk – before proudly announcing that she had added cookbook author to her resume. Her new book “Pop Life” hit the stores last month.
Next up was “Shadows”, the title track from her latest album. After engaging her fans (and pointing at those Tiffany shirts), she said was going to “take us retro” and performed her 1988 top ten single “All This Time.”
From here on out, it was all 1987 again with five songs in a row from her self-titled debut album. For “I Saw Him Standing There” (the Beatles cover), guitarist / collaborator Mark Alberici grabbed an acoustic guitar, and he and Tiffany joined the fans in the pit for a singalong.
Back on stage, “Danny” and “Feelings of Forever” followed, preceded by a sincere story about her fond childhood memories of warm summer nights in Southern California.
Next up was “Could’ve Been,” featuring beautiful piano work from her only other band member on this evening, Steve Ferlazzo, longtime musical director and keyboardist for Avril Lavigne.
Wrapping things up with “I Think We’re Alone Now,” her massive chart-topping version of the Tommy James & The Shondells hit, Tiffany showed that her voice – and star power – have not diminished over a 39-year career.
Los Angeles based band Missing Persons made quite an impression in 1980, releasing an independent four-song EP containing the song “Mental Hopscotch” which hit number one on the legendary KROQ-FM.
Two years later, their debut LP “Spring Session M” was released, and these days, virtually their entire live set draws from that gold-certified album. Founder and vocalist Dale Bozzio may be the sole original member, but the band continues to tour every year to the delight of their loyal fanbase.
Kicking off their set with “Mental Hopscotch,” Missing Persons played six straight songs from their 1982 debut album. Bozzio was in excellent voice condition and expressed her gratitude for the continued support over the years. Following “Noticeable One,” she introduced the band – Karl D’Amico on guitar, Fred Bensi on keyboards, and Andy Sanesi on drums – and then launched into their huge MTV-era hit, “Words.” “It Ain’t None of Your Business,” “Here and Now,” and “Bad Streets” followed.
The rarely performed “Face to Face” from their third album was next, then their slinky cover of The Doors “Hello, I Love You” (from their first EP).
Bozzio took a few minutes to shake hands with the fans against the pit rail and asked us all to “have strength and courage in these trying times.”
The crowd sensed what was next, which were arguably Missing Persons two biggest hits, “Destination Unknown” and “Walking in L.A.” The latter highlighted Bozzio’s still impressive range and quirky falsetto vocal styling.
Missing Persons are certainly icons of the ‘80s and still deliver an energetic and fun evening of hits. Catch them on August 30th at the Greek Theatre as part of the Lost ‘80s Live show if you can!
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Todd Markel Rock Images
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