B-52’s won’t pull the plug on Vegas party
The World’s Greatest Party Band refuses to call it a night.
The B-52’s are back in Las Vegas this weekend, and are committed to more dates next spring.
The punk-party band out of Atlanta has added five more shows at its Vegas Love Shack, The Venetian Theatre, from April 12-20. Their current set of dates run Friday through Sept. 3.
Tickets for the new dates start at $49.50 (not including fees), go on sale 10 a.m. Friday at ticketmaster.com, VenetianLasVegas.com or at any Venetian box office. Tickets for the shows beginning this weekend are on sale now. The band played five shows at The Venetian in May, adding these new dates because of “incredible fan demand.”
Founding members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson are returning to The Venetian production. The band has previously stated the Vegas residency would be the last time to see the B-52’s in concert.
Tied to the band’s return, Schneider and music photographer Michael Grecco are hosting a book signing at the Punk Rock Museum from 5-7 p.m., promoting Grecco’s “Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978-1991” (Abrams Books, 2020).
Schneider wrote the forward. He and Grecco will be at the museum to sign copies, available for purchase in the gift shop. Those who buy a book can tour the attraction at no additional cost.
A full-length, B-52’s documentary is also on the horizon, though details have been slow to emerge. The project is being produced by musician comedy master Fred Armisen (himself a recent Punk Rock Museum visitor), and directed by Craig Johnson ( “The Skeleton Twins,”“Alex Strangelove” fame).
Punk blends with pink in the B-52’s return. The band is also in partnership with Pinkbox Doughnuts of Las Vegas. The confection company is offering B-52’s-themed doughnuts starting at 6 a.m. Aug. 31 while supplies last. One, random order per location will include a pair of tickets to see the band.
These are tie-dye-frosted doughnuts, filled with confetti whip and topped by the band’s logo, available at all Las Vegas Valley locations. They are said to be diet-busting delicious.
Bands that have performed for 50-some years enjoy such widespread marketing opportunities. Pierson talked of the band’s longevity in an interview in May.
“I just feel like we’ve had this unique niche, a unique spot in the music pantheon of being just different,” Pierson said. “We are a really different band. We’ve stood the test of time, just because we’re so unique. We don’t really fall into a genre. We’re in the ’80s category, I guess, but I don’t think of us as just 80s, I think we have a longer lifespan.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.