The B-52s announce farewell tour of the USA
Georgia new-wave legends The B-52s have announced a farewell tour which is set to kick off in Seattle on August 22nd. The run of shows will wrap up in mid-November in their hometown of Atlanta, with The Tubes and KC & The Sunshine Band supporting them along the way.
The B-52s famously formed over a shared flaming volcano cocktail at the Hunan Chinese Restaurant, Atlanta, in 1976. They named themselves after the beehive hairstyle similar in form to the nose of a B-52 bomber before they set about creating a unique and eccentric visual aesthetic.
The band started out playing frequent packed-out gigs at student venues across Athens first and later encircled most of the state. Their music was a strange mix of diverse influences ranging from old-school soul to 1960s pop mixed with choppy punk style guitar riffs.
The band released their self-titled debut album in 1979, which boosted them to global recognition with hits like ‘Rock Lobster’, ‘Planet Claire’ and ‘52 Girs’.
The group are now best known for their biggest hit, ‘Love Shack’, from their 1989 album, Cosmic Thing. The band’s most recent album is Funplex, released in 2008, some 16 years after its predecessor, 1992’s Good Stuff.
In the autumn of 2019, lead vocalist Fred Schneider told Billboard that The B-52s wouldn’t embark on any further tours but that they would likely still make occasional festival appearances where possible.
The group are now set to return with a final farewell tour across America. The full list of dates can be seen below.
The B-52s Tour Dates:
- 08-22 Seattle, WA – McCaw Hall *
- 09-29 Mashantucket, CT – Foxwoods Casino £
- 09-30 Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall £
- 10-01 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem £
- 10-07 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre £
- 10-13 New York, NY – Beacon Theatre £
- 10-14 New York, NY – Beacon Theatre £
- 10-15 Atlantic City, NJ – Ovation Hall – Ocean Casino £
- 10-19 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian Theatre
- 10-21 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian Theatre
- 10-22 Las Vegas, NV – The Venetian Theatre
- 10-28 San Francisco, CA – The Masonic Auditorium *
- 10-29 San Francisco, CA – The Masonic Auditorium *
- 11-04 Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater £
- 11-11 Atlanta, GA – The Fox Theatre £
* with The Tubes
£ with KC & The Sunshine Band
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