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| The B-52's and Blondie |
The rain was falling hard as we pulled into the gigantic Jones Beach (I think it's been renamed after new owner Tommy Hilfiger, but i refuse to obey) parking lot. Rain at an outdoor concert - no fun. The lot was filled with SUVs, and I watched in amusement as swarms of poncho-clad suburban moms and their kids poured out of them. "Are you sure we're at the right show?" I asked my concert companions. This was certainly not the crowd I was anticipating for a B-52's / Blondie show. Then again, we were in Long
Island.
As a professional show-attendee and longtime underground rock fan, I was WAY out of my element, and not just because I was one of the few people in attendance not wearing a Tweety Bird rain coat. Inside the massive stadium-esque theater I browsed over $45 Blondie tee shirts and contemplated buying a $5 pretzel. Tommy Hilfiger clothing was also being sold. Miserable and wet, we searched and searched for the beer tent only to be informed that no alcohol was served at the venue, meaning we would have to watch a
show in the rain sober. A CBGB matinee this was not.
The B-52's took the stage late, right as I was about to snap from having to watch a scantily-clad DJ's futile attempts to fade records together during her set for about 25 minutes. I suppose I should be thankful that there was no "surprise" opening band. When I was 12 I went to see The Bangles and there was an unannounced opening band called Christmas that was nearly booed off the stage. I am still bitter from that experience.
It was still raining, but that only added to the sense of wild abandon one feels upon hearing the opening chords to "Dance This Mess Around". Sadly, the setup at Jones Beach discourages dancing (or maybe that was just the soccer mom behind me who kept yelling at us for standing up). When an adorable gay male couple came to dance with me in the aisle, they were promptly escorted back to their seats by uptight security guards. What is UP with that place?
The B-52's plowed through their greatest hits receiving very little audience response except for 'Love Shack', which provoked the crowd to close their umbrellas, get up, and do the white overbite dance. I predicted no one would get the number of times you have to "bang bang bang, on the door baby" before you got to "BANG BAAAAAANG!! On the DOOR, baby!". I was right, and laughed in amusement as everyone around me pretended they just didn't totally make a fool out of themselves by screaming out the wrong lyrics. No one seemed to be a big B-52's fan, although I have a feeling the lack of enthusiasm had a lot to do with the rain and the fact that Fred Schneider looked extremely bored. It was certainly not their best performance, although it was a great deal of fun. Their 25th anniversary show at Irving Plaza early this year far surpassed their somewhat cashed-in performance....but I can't blame them. These big arena shows really suck.
Blondie took the stage fairly quickly, thanking us all for waiting in the rain. All I could think of was "what rain?". If it was raining, I sure as hell didn't notice because I was too busy marveling at Debbie Harry with the type of slack-jawed admiration she's been receiving for about as long as I 've been alive. She looked amazing. Beautiful. Stunning. Clad in a tight white miniskirt ensemble that almost looked like a nurses outfit, she looked like the Goddess that many argue she is.
Blondie played a tight and fast paced set, mixing in the classics ('One Way Or Another', 'Rapture', 'Dreaming') with some new material and some sorta-new material ('Maria' is still growing on me). Debbie posed and danced in the same manner she did during the band's heydey. [Hey, I've seen video clips!] The latest trend amongst female vocalists in NYC rock bands is to imitate Debbie Harry, but NOTHING compares to the real deal. She's old enough to be my mother, and she's still one of the hottest rock chicks out
there.
Soggy and cold, the crowd demanded an encore. We were rewarded with two - Rapture and (of course) Heart Of Glass. Debbie's fatigue was showing by then, and the audience aided her when she forgot the words by singing along. Most of the couples had gone home to relieve the babysitter, so the freaks got to have their moment. I was beside myself with happiness at finally witnessing such a legendary band play live. So the moral of this story is: If you've been waiting to see a band since you were 5 years old, and then find out that they are playing in a gigantic venue out in suburbia.....go see them even if you have to stand out in the rain. You'll be glad you did.
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