The B-52s tour keeps ‘Funplex’ rolling through spring

Iconic New Wave brigade The B-52s, currently on the road for a handful of February concerts, will take their quirky rock back on the road this spring with a round of dates. A total of 17 shows are booked, including an upcoming February 6 gig at the House of Blues in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

New spring dates pick up with a May 5 concert at Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY, and continue on through a May 24 show at Riverwind Casino in Norman, OK. Other stops are slated for May 9 at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ; May 13 at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, MD; and May 16 at the new House of Blues venue in Boston, MA.

The B-52s are supporting the March 2008 release “Funplex,” which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of seven weeks on the chart. The band has described the new album as an “updated” version of the unconventionality that first rocketed the band to fame.

“I had been listening to a lot of electronic dance music and early rock and roll,” explained guitarist and principal composer Keith Strickland in a statement on the band’s Web site. “I was inspired to use these two aesthetics together with our own sound to write some shameless dance-floor party music.”

Strickland continued, “I like to think of my instruments as landscapes. The chord changes, rhythms and sound quality of the instruments are all aspects of a sonic space, which is designed for Cindy [Wilson], Fred [Schneider] and Kate [Pierson] to step into. I want them to feel inspired by the music and expand on that feeling with their melodies and lyrics.”

The B-52s itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)