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Concert in your area for Rock, Pop, and Indie & Alt.
The meeting of The B-52s could be described as a stroke of fate. After sharing some strong alcoholic beverages at a Chinese restaurant in Georgia, vocalist Cindy Wilson and her older brother guitarist Ricky joined vocalist Kate Pierson, original drummer and percussionist Keith Strickland and vocalist Fred Schneider in an impromptu musical jam. Shortly after they played their first gig as a unit at a friend's Valentine's Day party.
The band's managed to gain crucial backing from record labels in the early days partially helped by the strength of their debut single 'Rock Lobster' which charted worldwide. In 1979 The B-52's signed contracts with Warner Bros. Records for North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand; and with Island Records for the UK, Europe, and Asia.
The debut self titled album went on to chart within the top 30 of the UK charts and top 60 in the US, a moderate success for a new artist. The next album 'Wild Planet' spawned three top 5 US dance chart hits and increased the band's chart peaks around the world. On October 12, 1985 Ricky Wilson died from the illness HIV/AIDS at the age of 32 with his other bandmates unaware he was even suffering from the disease. With Cindy Wilson devastated by her brother's death, and her bandmates too being depressed about Ricky's passing, the band went into seclusion and did not tour to promote their album nor the group, prompting a hiatus from their musical careers.
They reformed in 1989 with the 'Cosmic Thing' album which included a number of hit worldwide singles, including their biggest US Billboard hit 'Love Shack'. In 1990 the B-52's were nominated for 4 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year. They won two awards, Best Group Video and Best Art Direction. Their tour schedule has been consistent throughout their career.
Originally formed by frontman John Easdale, rhythm guitarist Peter Wood and lead guitarist Mark Englert, the Dramarama lineup has hosted a revolving cast of live and session musicians over its years. Dramarama made their debut in 1982 with the song “You Drive Me”, followed by the five-track EP “Comedy” in 1984, which earned a surprise cult status in France. After signing with the French label New Rose Records, the band issued their debut full-length “Cinéma Vérité” in 1985. The record received widespread critical acclaim, subsequently earned a U.S. release on Question Mark Records, and spawned the radio-friendly single “Anything Anything”.
Following the album Dramarama moved to California to record and release their sophomore LP “Box Office Bomb”. The 1987 album was greeted by a string of rave reviews however acclaim for the album didn’t equate to sales and the record was considered a commercial disappointment. Having produced enough material for three albums, the full-length “Stuck in Wonderamaland” appeared in 1989, followed by the European CD “Looking Through…”. With their label Chameleon on the verge of bankruptcy, Dramarama signed with Elektra Records who issued the group’s major-label debut in 1991. Once again earning rave reviews, the record was led by the single “Haven’t Got a Clue” and received significant airplay on national radio.
Marking their final album on Elektra Records, Dramarama issued the full-length “Hi-fi Sci-fi” in 1993, an album that would come to epitomise the group’s cult status. Following the band’s worldwide supporting tours, Dramarama disbanded and John Easdale started performing as The John Easdale Group. Dramarama returned however in 2005 to release the full-length album “Everybody Dies”. Issued by 33rd Street Records, the album earned strong reviews and spawned the single “Physical Poetry (A-B-C-D-1-2-3)”.
Since 2008 American new wave band, the B-52s, have been back in action. In 2008 the banded dropped the apostrophe in their name and release a new album, ‘Funplex.’ For the past six years the B-52s have been delivering their brand of high-energy rock and roll pop in large arena and festival venues.
A B-52s concert always promises fun. If you want to dance the night away, then the B-52s’ brand of ‘loud, sexy rock and roll with the beat turned up to hot pink’ (as described by drummer and guitarist, Keith Strickland) might be just right for you.
After thirty-six years of performing with the B-52s, front women Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson really know how to work a crowd. They teasingly let the audience guess what song is up next as they offer allusive clues as they chat amongst themselves into their microphones. Of course, the crowd is guaranteed to go wild once they realise they are about to be treated to renditions of pop classics, ‘Rock Lobster’ And ‘Love Shack.’ You’ll struggle to shake these catchy tunes from your head for days after the gig!
The B-52s promise a fun evening of dancing and singing along to some fun pop hits.
Han93
I caught Dramarama at the Wonder Bar in Ashbury Park, New Jersey, and the small, intimate venue was perfect as it felt like the band was just there to hang out with us and have a good time. The audience seemed to skew a bit on the old side as I think that Dramarama were a big alt-rock band in the 1980s that broke up in the 1990s before reuniting in the early 2000s, but that was great too as it makes for a great change in scenery from annoying teeny-boppers. This mature crowd knew how to party too, and the crowd was singing along with the band the whole night. When the band played “Anything Anything,” you would have sworn that the crowd was three or four times as big as it was going by how loud the place got. I was entranced practically the whole set by the rhythmic melodies and the intense vocals. It was a wonderful change of pace for me to see this band, and I’m really glad that I did. They have a new album coming out in 2014 so they should be touring again soon, and everybody needs to experience this group in person!
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