The B-52's - that quirky alternative band behind the hits "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster" - have announced a farewell tour between late summer and fall. While the band isn't breaking up per se, the tour marks the last time the group will travel across the United States to perform headlining shows.
The 15-date trek across North America has been dubbed "The Final Tour Ever of Planet Earth." The B-52's will be accompanied by special guests The Tubes and KC & The Sunshine Band. The tour kicks off in Seattle on August 22 and wraps up in the band's hometown of Atlanta in mid-November.
The band’s most recent album is 2008’s Funplex, which arrived 16 years after its predecessor, 1992’s Good Stuff. Formed in 1976, co-founders Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and her late brother Ricky Wilson started The B-52's after getting drinks at a restaurant in Athens, Georgia. They played their first show together on Valentine's Day of the following year, and began working their way up.
"Who knew what started as a way to have some fun and play music for our friends' at house parties in Athens in 1977 would evolve into over 45 years of making music and touring the world," said Pierson in a press statement. "It's been cosmic."
"It has been a wild ride, that's for sure," Wilson said. "We feel truly blessed to have had an amazing career encouraging folks to dance, sing along with us and feel they can be whomever they are with our music."
"No one likes to throw a party more than we do, but after almost a half-century on the road, it's time for one last blow-out with our friends and family...our fans," Schneider explained of the band's decision to retire from touring. "And with KC & The Sunshine Band and The Tubes on board, it's going to be one hell of a farewell party at these concerts."
Following the tour, a documentary about The B-52's will be released in early 2023. Directed by Craig Johnson and executive produced by SNL and Portlandia star Fred Armisen, the film will track the band's rise to fame and influence on music and culture.
In other news, the band will be playing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight (April 27). Fans can tune in to ABC at 11:35pm ET to watch the performance.
Tickets for the band's farewell tour go on sale Friday, April 29 at 12pm ET. You can find them here.
See the B-52's Farewell Tour trailer below.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming B-52's music at Live365.com.
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Article Image: The B-52's stand together at the "Geek Squad" National Launch Event in 2004. (s_bukley via DepositPhotos.)
