Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 23rd 2008, 7:57am By BRO Reader Submission

By M. Scully

Living in Dublin in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a teenager, I started to notice that there were all sorts of things to do and see, whereas before there didn’t seem to be much of anything that was cheap and accessible. Suddenly though, the Dublin Theatre Festival became big and interesting (I think when the organizers stopped producing it for the tourists and began to make it about Dubliners) and was soon joined by the Irish Film Festival. Then the big outdoor concerts started to happen. Outside of themselves, these events felt like the brought the community together. Our city. Our party.

Rockin’ at the Knox stands out from a packed calendar as one of Buffalo’s defining events—the kind that brings the whole community together. 2008 promises to be great: The B-52s, one of the world’s greatest party bands, will headline the biggest party we will have seen in a while.

Formed in 1977, the underground success of the band’s first single “Rock Lobster” took them to CBGB’s in New York City—the infamous launching pad for many a Post-Punk and New Wave career. By 1979 the band had attracted the attention of the British music establishment and their highly-anticipated concert at London’s Lyceum was attended by Green Gartside from Scritti Politti and Joe Jackson, among others.

Since then, despite career breaks and the pursuit of solo projects, The B-52s have continued to record together. Their break into the U.S. mainstream came more than ten years into their career, when the ubiquitous party anthem “Love Shack” was released and went on to reach number three on the Billboard Charts. The follow-up single “Roam” also went to number three, and the band had a wildly successful world tour. In 1990, the band appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.

The latest album Funplex was released in March to rave reviews. Fusing punk, new wave and vintage rock in their original electric style, the new sound is easily recognizable as prime, yet contemporary B-52s.

But there’s more to Rockin’ than the headliner and what’s usually a stellar supporting lineup. This year promises to be no different when Metric, a Canadian indie rock band hits the stage as the opening act. Their songs "Monster Hospital" and "Police and the Private" have been used on the television show Grey's Anatomy. The event features the best in local talent too. (Visit the Gallery website for updates.) And there’s more; tickets ($40 in advance and $45 day of) include admission to one of the world’s greatest art museums and finest collections of modern and contemporary art.

It's fitting too, that the exhibition Op-Art Revisited will be on display during the event, tracing many of the optical and psychedelic developments in visual art since the 60s. Be sure to check out Surprise Surprise by British Artist Tim Bavington – a visual description of the Rolling Stones song "Surprise Surprise". Brilliant.

How can you not love Buffalo? Imagine trying to get tickets for this kind of event at MoMa or even in Dublin nowadays? That’s the thing—chances are you wouldn’t, although I wouldn’t let the grass grow with Rockin’ tickets either. I can’t wait.

Presented by M&T Bank, Independent Health, Star 102.5 and 107.7 The Lake.

Saturday, September 27. Gates at 5PM.
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
$40 advance, $45 day of, at the Gallery desk, www.ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.