Line-up

Venue

The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino Resort

1200 Athens Avenue, 95648, Lincoln, CA, US

View upcoming concerts

Additional details

Doors open: 19:30

Concert in your area for Rock, Pop, and Indie & Alt.

Find out more about Rock and Pop.

The B-52's biography

The B-52s are an American new wave band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976 and currently consists of Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland and Cindy Wilson.

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.

Men Without Hats biography

Men Without Hats (formed in 1977) is a Canadian new wave and synthpop group, best known for their singles “The Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World”, hailing from Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Founded by brothers Ivan and Stefan Doroschuk in 1977, Ivan soon took responsibility for the songwriting and vocal aspects, and Stefan became the guitarist. Over Men Without Hats' history the band has seen over 25 members pass through its door since 1977, with Stefan, Ivan, brother and synth player Colin Doroschuk and Jeremie Arrobas remaining a unit for the longest period. In 1980, Men Without Hats released their debut EP “Folk of the 80’s”, however the personnel changed drastically for the 1982 full-length release of “Rhythm of Youth”. Led by the track “I Like” it was the subsequent single “The Safety Dance” which catapulted the band to international recognition. The single spent three weeks at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also proved popular in the UK, New Zealand, and South Africa. The studio album earned a string of positive reviews, spawning the subsequent singles “I Got the Message” and “Living in China”.

Following the arrival of Ivan and Stefan's brother Colin Doroschuk, Men Without Hats issued their sophomore album “Folk of the 80’s” in 1984. The record proved popular in Canada but failed to achieve the success of its predecessor. The EP “Freeways” arrived in 1985 featuring remixes of earlier songs, and was supported by a small tour, which was documented on the DVD “Live Hats”. With a fresh lineup behind Ivan and Stefan including Lenny Pinkas, the band released “Pop Goes the World” in 1987, the title single of which reached No. 2 on the Canadian Single Chart and was later used in the 1987 film “Date with an Angel”.

The full-length “The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century”, featuring the ABBA cover “SOS”, was released in 1989 with little stir made. “Sideways” followed in 1991 and marked the group’s move away from new wave synth sounds towards the guitar dominated ‘90s. Following the release Men Without Hats disbanded in which time Ivan crafted the solo album “The Spell” issued in 1997. The band reformed in 2003 to release “No Hats Beyond This Point”, followed by a pair of compilation albums “My Hats Collection” in 2006 and “The Silver Collection” in 2008. Men Without Hats’ released their seventh studio album “Love in the Age of War” in 2012, 30 years after their debut record.

Live reviews

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.

Report

Han93

The 80s was a weird time, especially for music. There was a lot of new wave, electronic synth-rock stuff coming out of that era. Men Without Hats is the epitome of this type of music; and despite their being from the 80s, they can still pull off the great music. A majority of the crowd at their live set was beyond my age, but since I had grown up with a father who loved 80s music, I didn’t care that I was the youngest person around. In fact, since the band has faded back since their heyday, everyone in the crowd was an actual fan, and not some bandwaggoner. They opened their show with “Pop Goes The World,” and I felt like I was transported to the 80s. Despite not being at their prime Ivan Doroschuk, Lou Dawson, James Love and Rachel Ashmore can still rock and roll. They produced a lot of energy, which the crowd made sure to match. A lot of dancing was done around me, and by the time they started to play “Safety Dance” I found myself dancing along as well. The band was also extremely personable, taking the time in between songs to talk a bit with the audience and share a bit of banter as well. They are clearly a band that loves doing what they do.

Report