Concert Review: The B-52's

The B-52's were the headliner, and they were well-loved by the crowd that filled the venue.

They mentioned our "Keep Portland weird" motto as indicating this is a place where they fit in, and it's hard to argue. They started out as a really weird band. After "Love Shack" was a mainstream success, it was easy to see them as merely delightfully quirky, but they have never left those strange roots.

It is good to see them still rocking after so many years. The memories come. For example, I have never forgotten "Roam", but when they started "Channel Z"... I had kind of forgotten that one; it's a good song!

All of the bands made good use of the giant video screen, but in the B-52's set I really appreciated how much footage there was of deceased founding member Ricky Wilson. Most bands that have been around for a while have some painful spots, but embracing the memories is usually the healthiest option.

The nostalgia doesn't hurt the fun. One of my favorite things was that as they closed the show with their first single, "Rock Lobster", out came a giant lobster. It was a pretty good dancer, despite what must have been poor visibility in the suit.

No one would have thought about it if there were no lobster, and it still would have been a good finale, but that just took it to another level.

For some random thoughts, Kate Pierson was rocking a real Poison Ivy look. I could buy The B-52's being a DC band, comics-wise. I mean, B-52's/ New 52; it makes sense.

Kate is also the oldest B-52, which I did not see coming. We assumed it was Fred Schneider, but he is only(?) 68.

Speaking of the videos, they had an awesome dance one that combined footage of the band with every dance movie imaginable - Astaire, Garland, Swayze, Napoleon Dynamite - and there was one scene that I had initially pegged as a young Christopher Walken, but it was Fred. I don't think it means anything; it was just weird.

Therefore, perfect for this band. "Bless their hearts" is a bit of an insult in the South, but I'm not Southern so bless those Georgian weirdos!

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