B-52s to play Arsht Sunday night

By Madeleine Marr2/11/2012

Rock Lobster! Down, down, down, down! Get motivated for a Sunday night concert with the B-52s. The punk rockers will play all the ’80s favorites and current karaoke mainstays such as Love Shack, Private Idaho, Quiche Lorraine Roam and Planet Earth plus some funkier stuff from the old days. “It’s always fun to go back to songs we haven’t done in a while, like Strobe Light, says band member Keith Strickland, who lives with his partner in Key West. Having South Florida to come home to after dozens of dates out on the road is definitely sweet. “I really don’t miss the seasons, though I can get them when I travel,” says the guitarist, who also plays drums. “We’ve got our friends we see down the street, places we go to. It’s a good life here.” Strickland, 58, says he sees a healthy mix of fans in the crowds. There are the Generation X’ers who remember jumping around in the discos and the current teeny boppers who thrive on the party band’s old videos posted on YouTube. The musician wishes all the social media had been around when the Georgia band was in their heyday. “What an amazing platform,” he marvels. “And so educational. I can watch it and watch it. Before I know it, the whole day has gone by.”

The show starts at 8 p.m. Sunday, Knight Concert Hall, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; arshtcenter.org.

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