My friend and I did not know what to expect when we arrived at The Anthem. Honestly, our expectations were not that high. The B-52s have been playing their new wave sound and rocking their eccentric style since 1976, so could they still put on a show? This question circled around in our conversations prior to the concert and kept making us nervously glance at each other on the way there.
At The Anthem, the line outside the venue shocked us. There were people of all ages dressed in costume and excited for what the night held. This energy in the air must have rubbed off onto us as we began to highly anticipate the performance. The show was not until 8, so my friend and I spent the time after the doors opened by people-watching. We spotted vintage, 60s-style outfits and lobster costumes in the crowd. As for the two of us, I was dressed as a witch while my friend matched in classic goth makeup. We, admittedly, were not very on theme for the festivities of the evening.
Unexpectedly, The B-52s had an opening act. This surprise was not very encouraging in regards to our expectations for the show. Whatever enthusiasm was lost during the opener, DJ Cumberbund, was quickly regained when Claudia the Hype Lobster came on screen. This video segment rallied my, and the crowd’s, spirits. Claudia reminded us that The B-52s make music that is inclusive for all, encouraging us to dance and let our freak flags fly.
The “World’s Greatest Party Band” kicked off the main set with “Planet Claire.” To summarize, we were in awe. Kate Pierson’s vocals remarkably sounded exactly like they did back in 1978. Throughout the show, her voice blended beautifully into the melody with Fred Schneider and Cindy Wilson providing equally stellar vocals. Wilson’s voice had some gravel and more of a rock edge to it, but it oddly worked. Schneider, however, was the member my friend and I paid the most attention to. Throughout the night, we kept turning to each other, saying: “We love Fred.” Schneider’s role in the band has always been a type of speak-singing called sprechgesang that provides delightful, hilarious commentary to their tracks. Live performance proved no different.
The show was rather basic in terms of production and execution. The B-52s had a center screen behind them in addition to some lighting effects and a fog machine. They were supported by a backing band of three people who performed impressively. The guitarist was incredible, moving as though the music was in their blood, while the drumbeats were incredibly strong yet focused. Everyone on the stage was also dressed for the occasion with one backing band member dressing as a mummy and another donning a bumblebee costume. Schneider wore a curly wig for most of the show, and Pierson and I actually matched a bit with our black dresses and flowing sleeves.
By the end of the show, we decided that everyone should see “Love Shack” and “Rock Lobster” live once in their life. Unfortunately, there may not be many more opportunities to see the group perform these hits since they embarked on their farewell tour last year and, outside their Las Vegas residency, have only been doing one-off shows since.
Despite our negative mindset going into the evening, we spent the night dancing and singing with smiles and laughter along the way. Their performance showed us songs we had never heard before—deep cuts and the like. The comradery and love between the band was shown through their harmonies and ease on stage with one another. It was shown in their jokes and teasing. And it was shown in a message at the end of the show thanking their fans from all five of the members, including Ricky Wilson who passed away in 1985 from AIDS and Keith Strickland who no longer tours with the band.
The B-52s are not some big-name group with a giant production or act for the stage. To us, they are simply a group of friends who have stuck together to keep doing what they love.
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