B-52s Celebrate 40th Anniversary Down Under

History records that The B-52s formed over a Chinese meal in October 1976 in Athens, Ga. But their first show was not until Feb. 14, 1977, at a friend’s Valentine’s Day house party.

AP Photo – The B-52
TV Land Awards, New York City

Forty years on, the act celebrated its anniversary with a near-sellout show at Auckland ‘s Vector Arena. The band had completed a seven-date Australian run opening for Simple Minds. But for the Vector Arena show, Simple Minds opted to celebrate the Georgia natives’ special show by letting them headline.

Singer Fred Schneider told the crowd: “From Athens to Auckland, 40 years and the party ain’t stopping!”

Throughout their set, they proved to retain their youthful vitality as they blasted through signature tunes as “Roam,” “Love Shack” and finally “Rock Lobster,” the song that made John Lennon decide to come out of his hiatus from music, telling Yoko Ono, “Mother, I think they’re finally ready for us.”