B-52s announce farewell tour, Atlantic City show. Here are the band's Jersey roots
One more trip to the “Love Shack” for fans of the B-52s.
The quirky hitmakers, whose new wave classics include “Rock Lobster,” “Roam,” “Private Idaho,” “Good Stuff” and “Love Shack,” are saying goodbye and have announced their “Final Tour Ever of Planet Earth.”
Upcoming area shows include Oct. 15 at Ovation Hall inside the Ocean Casino in Atlantic City, and Oct. 13 and 14 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.
KC & The Sunshine Band are the openers for the area shows. Tickets go on sale at noon Friday, April 29, via www.theb52s.com/tour. The band will appear on the Wednesday, April 27, episode of ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
“No one likes to throw a party more than we do, but after almost a half-century on the road, it's time for one last blow-out with our friends and family … our fans,” said frontman Fred Schneider in a statement. “And with KC & The Sunshine Band and The Tubes on board, it's going to be one hell of a farewell party at these concerts.”
The group was founded in 1976 in Athens, Ga., but there are Jersey roots. Schneider grew up in Oceanport and went to Shore Regional High School. Kate Pierson was born in Weehawken and grew up in Rutherford.
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“I had a typical childhood growing up, I built forts in the woods and I played in the neighborhood,” said Schneider previously to the Asbury Park Press.
Schneider headed south to attend forestry school at the University of Georgia in Athens.
“I wanted to be a conservationist,” Schneider said. “I wanted to save animals who were in danger of becoming extinct.”
Instead, he discovered another type of wildlife in the artist community of Athens. Schneider met up with drummer Keith Strickland and guitarist Ricky Wilson, and was eventually joined by Wilson's kid sister, Cindy, and Kate Pierson, all of whom formed the B-52s.
The first show was in 1977. By 1978, the band had recorded its signature tune “Rock Lobster.” Mixing Duane Eddy guitars with beehive hairdos, blippy new-wave sounds, art-school camp and a touch of Cold War anxiety, the B-52s carved themselves out a singular and immediately identifiable niche in rock 'n' roll.
By the way, “B-52” refers to a type of bouffant hairdo, not the bomber.
The final tour begins Aug. 22 in Seattle.
B-52s Farewell Tour dates
Aug. 22 at Seattle, McCaw Hall
Sept. 29 at Mashantucket, Conn., Foxwoods Casino
Sept. 30 at Boston, MGM Music Hall
Oct. 1 at Washington, D.C., The Anthem
Oct. 7 at Chicago, Chicago Theatre
Oct. 13 at New York, Beacon Theatre
Oct. 14 at New York, Beacon Theatre
Oct. 15 at Atlantic City, Ovation Hall, Ocean Casino
Oct. 19 at Las Vegas, The Venetian Theatre
Oct. 21 at Las Vegas, The Venetian Theatre
Oct. 22 at Las Vegas, The Venetian Theatre
Oct. 28 at San Francisco, The Masonic Auditorium
Oct. 29 at San Francisco, The Masonic Auditorium
Nov. 4 at Los Angeles, YouTube Theater
Nov. 11 at Atlanta, The Fox Theatre
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: B-52s farewell tour includes Atlantic City NJ show
