For this week’s installment in the Vintage Video series, we revisit the classic, original lineup of The B-52s — including the late Ricky Wilson — as the band plays a 30-minute set in Dortmund, part of what was then West Germany, in 1983 for the TV show “Rockpalast.” The performances comes about a month after the release of the band’s third album, Whammy!, and opens with that record’s “Song for a Future Generation.”
Check out the full performance and setlist below:
Setlist: The B-52s, Dortmund, West Germany, 5/14/83
1. “Song For a Future Generation”
2. “Planet Claire”
3. “Mesopotamia”
4. “Big Bird”
5. “Dance This Mess Around”
6. “Rock Lobster”
7. “Party Out Of Bounds”
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Keith Strickland quits touring with The B-52’s: ‘My barnstorming days have come to an end’
- The B-52s and The Go-Go’s teaming up for joint U.S. tour this summer
- B-52s’ Fred Schneider releasing ‘Destination… Christmas!’ holiday CD with The Superions
Absolutely priceless. The B52’s remain one of the most underrated live acts. All the early tours with Ricky still provide great memories.
Phenominal. Seeing them Live again is a real treat! So glad this footage survived. Viva the B-Hive :-)
What a nugget! I wish that this clip had the whole show. Their third tour, and last with Ricky before he died, and when they all still played instruments…well, I guess that you can say that Fred played instruments. They are still really, really good live, but back in the day…
I was too cool to like the B52’s until I saw them at Heatwave, a festival outside of Toronto in 1980–but they won me over with their relentless cheer and good songs. I realized–they believe it.
The Clash were to the headliner of that show–but they doped out and lied that they were stopped at the border–so it was Elvis Costello, who walked on stage in front of 100,000 people and said: “Hello–we’re the Clash.” He was great–a long vibrant set–unlike his concert in Buffalo 6 months earlier where he played for 20 minutes and walked off the stage, indignant. Yeah–I’m still pissed
My favorite moment of Heatwave was The Talking Heads–I remember the # musician on stage growing, growing and me thinking… is that Adrian Belew… is that Bernie Worrell–this was months before ‘Remain in Light” appeared–so it was stunning and beautiful in a way that’s rare today.
This is actually not a Rockpalast concert but a ‘Rockpop In Concert’ recording. Afaik, each of the bands performing (Nena, Ultravox, Men At Work, Robert Palmer, The Tubes, Little River Band) played for 30min.