Review & Photos by Junkman
Summertime in Orange County, California has lots to offer. Plenty of places to go and have fun outdoors. One thing that is very popular for a few weeks during July and August is the yearly Orange County Fair. And one of the more popular attractions is the Toyota Summer Concert Series at the Pacific Amphitheatre, which unfortunately, due to neighborhood noise restrictions, is the only time of the year that it is used. It’s a very comfortable arena, and has been spruced up to accommodate the yearly visitors.
Tonight, it was on with the B-52’s fun dance party for anyone that likes the tunes kitschy and not taken seriously. Opening the show were Orange County favorites the Aquabats. This six-piece outfit is a real blast. Picture six middle-aged guys dressed in matching blue and black super hero outfits, playing an up-tempo style of Ska-meets-retro-new-wave-style rock. Very geeky, and nerdy for sure, but that was the point. Not to be taken seriously.
Highlights of the set were when they used props, such as when a fire extinguisher was used to ward off an approaching guy in a crocodile suit. Food was also a popular part of the set, as giant inflatable pizza slices were thrown into the audience during “Pizza Day” and giant inflatable hamburgers were also tossed out during “Burger Rain.” Being a Friday and all, the “9-to 5ers” were still arriving, and getting into it, though most stayed seated, no doubt still waiting for a jolt after a long work week. Lead singer “MC Bat Commander” was cheerleading the whole time, desperately looking for a reaction. They ended it with “Pool Party” as giant beach balls filled the air and the audience got their kicks slapping them around. Yes it was a fun way to start the evening.
But the real fun began as soon as the B-52’s hit the stage. Opening with “Cosmic Thing,” the dance party was on. The crowd, a mix of mostly middle-aged baby boomers and young hipsters, busted out their best moves during “Private Idaho.” Lead singer Fred Schnieder announced that they would “soon be celebrating 40 years of the B-52’s” before leaving the stage and letting singers Kate Pierson and Cindi Wilson bust out the majority of “Dead Beat Club.” The ladies did some great singing together on “Roam” and “52 Girls” from their 1979 debut album.
As sound effects filled the public address system with the likes of old TV shows and lots of white noise, Schnieder returned to the stage carrying a retro-looking transmitter device complete with old-style TV rabbit ears antennae. He exclaimed the familiar intro “ I am livin’, on Channel Z!” and, the kings and queens of kitsch led the dance party with “Channel Z.” Always deadpan, Schnieder piped in sarcastically at the song’s end: “Whoever comes up with the best new dance, gets the award for best new dance!” And just like that, they played the cult favorite “Dance This Mess Around,” an homage to the dance crazes of the 1960s that were always debuting on TV shows like American Bandstand.
“Party Out Of Bounds” featured Cindi Wilson on bongos and vocals. The backing band was solid all the way through. Schnieder, always the clever one, announced, “I know we were excited when the first pictures of Pluto were posted, but really, who wants to go THERE?” And the band launched into the space-age rocker “Is That You Mo-Dean?” At the end, he sarcastically piped in “We are futurists, so go see the movie Idiocracy,” drawing a few chuckles from those of us that actually got the joke.
But this crowd wanted hits, and there were plenty. “Love Shack,” which ended the set, was and is probably their biggest hit. Pierson and Wilson were almost like cheerleaders throughout this number, before a hoarse-throated Wilson bellowed out the infamous “Tin Roof!….Rusted” that was accompanied by virtually every person in the audience. Guaranteed fun for all.
The spacey intro with cheesy keyboards and cool bongo playing by Cindi Wilson led in to my favorite B-52’s number, “Planet Claire,” that harkened back to so many dance parties I had attended while in college. “Whammy” followed it, before closing the show with the inevitable “Rock Lobster” that had the crowd in a frenzy.
Dancing, gyrating, and generally enjoying the hell out of the ultimate beach party song. You really felt like you were on the set of a Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movie from the early 60s, which I would guess is the point. I can’t say it enough, but a very fun and enjoyable show from a band that loves to be weird. Don’t forget to “Shake your cosmic thing!”
