Looking for a simply outrageous way to close out an energetic Halloween night? Rock on over to the Anthem this October 31st to experience the B-52s live in concert.
The group, originally formed in 1976 as the result of a flaming volcano drink-induced jam session (a mouthful, I know), are instantly recognizable for their vintage, surf rock-inspired style and their kitschy style of dress. Caught in the fray of all those exciting adjectives? Just take a listen to the B-52’s first successful underground single, later re-released on their debut album The B-52’s, “Rock Lobster.” A piercing, shout style vocal dominates but is supported by the responses of female background singers. It’s as if thrifty vintage beachwear and yellowing surfboards have been sonically recycled, transformed by synthesizers and avant garde lyricism into the familiar bizarre.
The B-52’s contained other successes, “52 Girls” and “Planet Claire,” guilty of creating soundscapes as scintillating as the playfully ominous “Rock Lobster.” The band followed up with the critically acclaimed “Wild Planet,” introduced an element of futurism, the heavy reliance on synthesizers and drum machines, on 1983’s Whammy!, and followed with “Bouncing off the Satellites” in 1986 before a brief hiatus.
They returned to the scene ready to deliver to the mainstream with 1989’s Cosmic Thing, stacked with successes such as the enticing party anthem “Love Shack,” the transcendental “Roam,” and college radio modern rock hit “Channel Z.” The B-52s have since released 2 more studio albums, Good Stuff and Funplex, followed by 3 live albums spanning 1979 to 2013.
If you are in the mood to tread the fine line between the eccentrically clever and the nostalgically sound, or if you just need a place to show off your artsy costume to those in the know, join me at a little old place we can get together (the Anthem!) this Halloween night. Tickets are available here.
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