It’s been more than 40 years since the B-52s played their first show, making the fact that they’ve embarked on an extensive Spring and Summer of Love 2017 Tour! this year all the more remarkable. In true B-52s style, they’re having a great time along the way, scheduling special shows with orchestras in some cities and making a three-date stop in Las Vegas. Founding band members Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider and Cindy Wilson can throw a party like no other new wave survivors, and it’s unlikely that fans would pass up a chance to dance to classics such as “Rock Lobster” and “Roam.”
Unfortunately, they’ll be partying without co-founder Keith Strickland, who in January 2013 announced that his “barnstorming days have come to an end,” but he would continue to be a B-52. As the creative majordomo of the band, Strickland has become the B-52s’ Brian Wilson, a nontouring member whose soul is in the songs that the band plays. It’s a move not without precedent, as Strickland inherited the role of stewarding the band’s iconoclastic vision after the 1985 death of original guitarist Ricky Wilson. It was Wilson who came up with the surf rock-inspired riffs of early hits such as “Private Idaho” and “Planet Claire” that would resonate with fans at the earliest shows in New York’s post-punk underground.
Strickland mastered Wilson’s idiosyncratic playing style that relied on open tunings, and became the conduit for the quirky combo’s creativity. He took the reins during the completion of 1986’s sonically impressive Bouncing Off the Satellites, which the band was unable to support with touring due to Wilson’s passing. Strickland had taken over Wilson’s role by the time recording began for what would be 1989’s Cosmic Thing, which would rocket the B-52s to the top of the charts, thanks to party anthem “Love Shack” and “Channel Z.” It also opened up the future to the B-52s as a band that could return to playing for fans whenever they felt like it.
And as those fans know, it’s all about the antics and fashion sense of Pierson, Schneider and Cindy Wilson at a B-52s concert. The band adapted a thrift-store aesthetic from the get-go that included seersucker suits for Schneider and beehive-hairdo wigs for the women, with slang for the latter inspiring the band name. Pierson and Wilson also developed a distinctive harmonic singing style they referred to as “The Sound.” Their voices soared when blended together, creating an inimitable effect that is an essential element to the B-52s and is arguably irreplaceable.
Could this be the last B-52s tour? There’s been no chatter from the band about an end to touring or recording, and shows scheduled with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra indicate the B-52s are more interested in new ways of expression than in resting on their laurels. As long as they have enough fuel, the B-52s could be bouncing off the satellites well into their 50th decade.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 8:30 p.m. July 7-9, starting at $59.50 plus tax and fee, 18+. 800.745.3000
