April 2004, Gulfstream Park, Hallendale, Fla.
At this point, having lived and been around Athens as long as I have, you’d think I would have seen The B-52s more than a few times. They did play a celebration show at the Classic Center, which I was unable to get to for work reasons, and aside from seeing Fred Schneider walking into the Robyn Hitchcock show (which I had a slight freak-out about, because, I mean, it’s FRED SCHNEIDER), I haven’t seen much of any band members. While the B’s are from Athens, it took them going to New York to get discovered, though their Athens roots are indelible.
The venue I did see them at — a racetrack in Hallandale, Fla. on a Saturday afternoon — seems out of place for the band and nostalgic in an old person sort of way. And really that was the point of these shows — for $5 bring in people who loved music in their youth and maybe they would gamble some too (other bands who would play here were Blondie, Beach Boys and Styx). Still, the B’s are meant for a packed, dark-lit spot where pogo dancing and strobe lights fill the room. How much partying can you do at a race track?
The answer is plenty with The B-52s involved, I don’t think there’s a place the band can’t make people dance. And so it was, in a field aside a racetrack, filled with lawn chairs and families and surrounded by palm trees, Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson and Keith Strickland danced that mess around.
I went with my wife and we sat off to the side, underneath the palm trees to shield from the mid-day sun, and watched the B’s do their magic. The sound of synths filled the air, and “Planet Claire,” from the band’s 1979 debut album, opened the concert proceedings. It’s a great song to start, it’s peppy and recognizable and allows the crowd to build for a minute or two before Fred takes the mic. This song, more than any other, defines the band for me — it’s weird, interesting and engaging without being too complicated.
At this point, with their longevity (they would put out another album in 2008 which was pretty damn good), any show is a greatest hits package, as even the lesser-known songs have traction. So “Private Idaho,” “Roam,” “Channel Z,” “Strobe Light” and “Quiche Lorraine” share space with the monster hits “Love Shack” and “Rock Lobster” (which ends the show, because how can you follow that?) Cindy and Kate sounded great, and Fred was his usual manic self, I doubt the man ever gets tired.
So I finally saw the B’s. It wasn’t in a venue that made sense, or with a crowd that came solely for the music, but these things don’t matter when you’re the world’s greatest party band.
