The B-52s

New wave rock band The B-52s will perform at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Thursday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets at $35 pavilion and $10 lawn are on sale now at Palacenet.com, The Palace Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations.

Tickets may also be charged by phone to American Express, Discover, Visa and MasterCard by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Since forming in Athens, Georgia in 1976, The B-52s have come a long way since their revolutionary 1979 self-titled debut, featuring the party music staple “Rock Lobster.” Following the loss of founding member Ricky Wilson in 1985, the group rebounded with their triumphant 1989 smash Cosmic Thing, which spawned the Top 10 hits “Love Shack” and “Roam.” Although their last recordings to be made commercially available were the songs “Debbie” and “Hallucinating Pluto” for the 1998 anthology Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation, the band has remained a popular and active live touring act.

Looking back at band’s pioneering fusions of punk, new wave, and vintage rock, it would be tough to imagine the contemporary musical landscape existing without having encountered the intersected spirits of Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, and Cindy Wilson. “We all cross-pollinate, and create a wonderfully crazy blossom,” explains Schneider.

Funplex, the band’s first original album in sixteen years was released in March 2008. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, selling approximately 30,000 copies in its first week, immediately making it their second-highest charting album ever. The first single from the album was the title track, which reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and the second single, “Juliet of the Spirits,” reached number eight on the same chart.

The B-52s are part of the Belle Tire Concert series.