No bombs dropped by expertly restored B-52’s

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Aug. 1, 2005 | 8:12 a.m.

Even veteran acts that capitalize on fan sentimentality to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars on tour try to dodge the dreaded "n" label by purporting they remain viable on the contemporary scene.

That's why when you pay to sing along with Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" or the Eagles' "Hotel California" in concert, you also have to sit through recent dreck such as "Red Rover" or "Hole in the World."

One band that plays no such games is the B-52's. Though the Athens, Ga., outfit was groundbreaking as part of the late 1970s new-wave/post-punk movement, its members are unashamed of their retro role today.

The B-52's official Web site bills them as "the world's greatest party band," and judging from Saturday night's show at the Mandalay Bay Beach, it's an apt description.

A crowd of about 3,000 -- the venue's second sellout in as many nights, following a packed Los Lonely Boys show on Friday -- stayed on its feet for the full 75 minutes, singing and dancing to 14 of the B-52's throwback anthems.

The last of which was recorded more than 16 years ago.

The band actually released its last album, "Good Stuff," in 1992, but didn't play anything off that one on Saturday. It also didn't demo any new material from an upcoming disc.

Instead, the seven-piece touring group stuck to fan favorites, from the tune that put them on the map -- 1979's "Rock Lobster" -- to the song that introduced them to the MTV generation, 1989's "Love Shack."

The B-52's punk-meets-surf alterna-pop is a good fit for the open-air expanses of the Beach, one reason why the group has become a mainstay of the venue's annual summer circuit.

So what if the mix was murky, the harmonies a bit off or the musicians a little sluggish?

And who cared that original members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson relied on the same campy dialogue they probably dredge up every time out? ("Now let's go together ... to outer space? No to Rome," Pierson said, introducing the 1989 hit "Roam.")

At this stage of the game, the B-52's are essentially a novelty act, and happy to be one. If it can get 60-plus-year-old grandmothers to plant their feet in the sand and imitate Wilson's goofy dance moves, what else really matters?

Not that there weren't a few hot musical moments, namely revved-up, punky numbers "52 Girls" and "Strobe Light" late in the set and a hearty encore performance of "Rock Lobster" that managed not to sound perfunctory.

But really, Saturday night wasn't about critical analysis or instrumental showmanship. When the B-52's are in town, it's always about nostalgia, celebrating it rather than sidestepping it.