They played the hits, but
by Too Old to Party? on 11/4/24The Anthem - WashingtonRating: 3 out of 5I'm 72. I came upon the B-52s as a middle-aged man, and conceived such an affection for them, the Keith Strickland/Ricky Wilson soundscapes, the down-and-dirty killer vocals by Cindy, Fred and Kate. As those last three are 67, 73 and 77 respectively, I had the feeling going in this had the makings of a farewell of sorts. They didn't improvise much, except for "Love Shack", but they delivered to the tune of a 15-song one hour and a quarter set. In a way I was glad of the early hour, as I was looking at a long commute home to Annapolis by train and car.
My principal beef is with The Anthem, beginning with the mediocre sound system that eliminated the nuances and hidden treasures of the music. I managed to get over the fact that I had to stand the whole night through, including the opening act by DJ Cummerbund (an often cheesy melange of pumpkins and skeletons on the video overhead). But the final insult, to me, and probably meaning I won't attend any function there again, was having to check the mask I wore for Halloween in the coat room "because it covered my face."