Messy day. I got up at 4 a.m. for a business trip to Cincinnati, then got delayed by four hours, but made it to Irving Plaza just in time for my beloved B-52s. I missed “Wig” and got a beer during “Mesopotamia.” Once my equilibrium of home turf and a beer settled in, I was ready for the band I consider the Scissor Sisters of the 1970s and ’80s. I love this band so much that I catch them every time they tour. They’re still a major party band.
I still love their 2008 Funplex album and they played quite a bit off of it: the title track plus “Love in the Year 3000,” “Too Much to Think About,” “Eyes Wide Open” and “Hot Corner.” Perennial favorites “Roam” and “Love Shack” were covered, along with random oldies “Lava,” “52 Girls” and “Whammy Kiss.” My favorite song is the Cindy Wilson-led “Give Me Back My Man.” She delivers every single time. Amazing. Kate Pierson’s stunning vocals shine in so many of their songs but it’s “Planet Claire” that always makes me smile. They closed with none other than “Rock Lobster.”
God bless the B-52s. Each member is in their 50s and 60s and still going at it as if they’re in their 20s. Front man Fred Schneider (frequently spotted on the 1 train), beach blond Cindy Wilson, guitarist Keith Stickland (who has aged the best, looks 30) and lone maraca player/vocalist/goddess Kate Pierson make up the original party band from Athens, Ga. I’ve seen them four or five times over the years, but tonight’s show was the best of them all. The last time I saw them was last summer on Governor’s Island in New York harbor when a monsoon cut their gig short so this year they played safely indoors at my favorite venue in the city: Highline Ballroom.
Kicking off the night was the surprising “Wig,” from their 1987 album, Bouncing Off the Satellites. “Cindy’s got a wig! We all got wigs on!” perfectly set the tone for the night. I love that they started with this song because it represents the tenacity of the B-52s. Released just before their breakthrough Cosmic Thing album, Bouncing was their first record after guitarist and Cindy’s sibling Ricky Wilson tragically died of AIDS. I always think of him when I hear this song. It’s always a nice sentiment.
Through their 90-minute set, they played a wide mix of songs ranging from their 1979 debut to their last album of original work, 2008′s Funplex. Off the severely under-rated Funplex they played “Love in the Year 3000,” “Ultraviolet,” “Dancing Now,” the title track “on a diet pill” with Cindy’s “I’m your daytime waitress at the Taco Tiki Hut. I’m you’re daytime waitress, here’s your f-ing 7-Up!” and my favorite, Athens-inspired “Hot Corner,” with Fred commanding Kate to do a “white hot shimmy in a lurex gown.”
But the best material is their older material. And fortunately for me and the crowd at Highline, we got to see them perform their best, at their best: “Private Idaho” and “Mesopotamia” came first and then a few songs off their 1989 hit album Cosmic Thing, including “Channel Z” and “Roam.” I could not have been happier to finally hear them sing “Deadbeat Club.” I have always loved this song, but have never heard them sing it live. “Let’s go crash that party down in Normaltown tonight. Then we’ll go skinny-dippin’ in the moonlight. Were were wild girls, walkin’ down the street. Wild girls and boys going out for a big time.” “Cosmic Thing” was great too and a song that I have forgotten. No longer… I put it on my iPod this morning. There’s nothing better than Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson singing “honeybun!” in unison. “Shake your honey bun!“
The highlight of the evening was Cindy’s solo on “Give Me Back My Man” from the 1980 album Wild Planet. I’ve always liked Cindy, but I’ve been drawn to Kate in the past, and for good reason. But tonight Cindy seemed to be in her element, having the time of her life. She killed on this song. “I’ll give you fish, I’ll give you candy, I’ll give you everything I have in my hand. Give me, give back my man.” Amen, sister. The crowd responded with a prolonged applause, nearly causing Wilson to shed a tear. Moments like these are why I haunt music venues like this… glimpses of magic. And don’t think it was glitter on the highway that made magic, it was her spirit.
In the end, they played their best known song, “Love Shack,” a staple from my freshmen year in college, and an encore featuring two songs, Kate’s outer space killer shrills on “Planet Claire” and the party anthem of all time, “Rock Lobster.” I’m especially fond of the animal sounds Cindy and Kate have a to muster when Fred tells them to. My favorite is Cindy’s dolphin call. Hilarious.
A lot of my friends saw Lady Gaga at MSG last night, and I wondered if she has ever seen the B-52s live. I’m glad I made the decision to put Gaga off by a few nights to see the originals who brought the weird, quirky and obtuse to pop music coupled with the talent, hooks and heart. I bet Gaga could learn a lot from the B-52s. Think she’ll be around when she’s 60 and playing Highline? Let’s hope so.
I’ve been a fan of the B-52s for more than 20 years, fueled primarily by my obsession for Kate Pierson — a woman who has one of the best voices in the music biz, and one time collaborator of Michael Stipe and Iggy Pop — remember “Candy” from college? Amazing. I really fell in love with them when they played the Atlanta Pride Festival back in ’99, and again last year at Radio City Music Hall as part of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Tour. RCMH is a fine venue, but not for the B-52s…
Fast forward to August 2009, Highline Ballroom’s programming of the new “beach” at Governor’s Island in New York Harbor. Outdoors, sand, sangria, Cindy Wilson’s beehive. It doesn’t get much better than that. I’m in love with this venue. Lower Manhattan looming with a breeze coming off the harbor, Brooklyn in the distance, did I mention sangria? It’s another reason I love New York — a forgotten island slowly being regained by New Yorkers as it’s newest park. Go there!! The ferry is free!!
The four Georgia girls — the youthful looking Keith Strickland, the “what the hell am I doing here?” Fred Schneider, the FABULOUS Cindy Wilson in a vivid plum dress, and my girl, the vivacious and incomparable Kate Pierson — quickly captured the diverse audience and got them singing and dancing (unlike the Radio City crowd). Working it at 60ish, I can’t keep my eyes off Kate’s red hair, body glitter and her Annette Funicello beach dance moves. I love her young-at-heart spirit. God bless you, Kate (and Cindy!!)
The B-52s did not disappoint, quickly moving through many of the new songs off their 2008 drop, Funplex, as well as a few classics like “My Own Private Idaho.” Forty-five minutes into their set, during “Roam,” a mighty wind overtook the crowd and caught the backdrop in the wind… cut to Keith killing the song and exclaiming, “see you in an hour.” Exit Fred, Keith, Cindy, Kate… Enter monsoon. Thunder, lightening, torrential rain. My friend Brian and I made a bee-line for the bar. More sangria! Most of the audience ran for the dining tent. We opted for the bar cart overhang. Drowned rats.
Sadly, the B-52s didn’t return, but it was an unforgettable concert — not to mention a great New York moment. Let’s hope for a return of the B-52s in 2010 at Governor’s Island. I’ll be there. Perhaps I’ll FINALLY get to hear them perform “Deadbeat Club” live!!
