I saw the b-52's at the longhorn club in Minneapolis in the late '70s. They knew only six songs, and were quite proud of that, so they played Rock lobster several times. It was one of my first dates with my wife. We're still married we're like Rock Lobsters
I saw them in an arena in the early 80s, and during the "Down! Down!" part of this song, the entire arena full of people fell to the floor and jumped back up when the riff resumed. It was amazing.
I was a preteen in Orlando in the very early '80s and would go to a skate rink on Fridays or Saturdays that would become an underage dance club. This was always played and we all dropped and then popped back up when the song started up again. One of my great memories. I wish I could pop back up that easily now! ;)
I directed the video live with two cameras. The club was so loud that even with headphones none of us could hear each other. I told the cameramen to do their best and I'd switch as needed. I had to shout once for camera one and twice for camera two so they'd know I was taking their camera. I probably had to dump from one to the other at 5:45 because of a dancer in the way or something.
i am not the type of guy who says, that in the past everything was better - but when i hear and see this video, there is a good reason to say so. ricky wilson r.i.p.
While everyone else in the band is going completely wild, Ricky Wilson in his quiet genius, stands there stoically driving the whole performance forward as he cranks out the best rock guitar rifs ever. Gone but not forgotten.
@@paulwalrond8836 Yikes. If you think the entire world just stopped being creative except for a very small sliver of time that just happened to align with your youth, you might want to take a look inward first.
LOVE THIS!!! I didn't know this video existed. My friends and I were all there at this concert. It was hot & sweaty and wonderful. We never missed a B's show anywhere near Atlanta from the birthday party at the Jewish Country Club on. I remember the first time going down down to the floor during Rock L. was at Emory Univ Dining Hall show even before this one. This band was way ahead of it's time and set the standard for Party bands. We honored them with gallons of sweat on the dancefloor.
That’s a amazing that you saw them at this time. I’ve been watching a few of their early live shows on RUclips and it has the vibe of going to the Rocky horror picture show viewing. It just looks do damn fun.
This song was fire from day one! The band is not as tight as they would be months later, but still the energy is there! This is internet gold! Thank you for posting!
I've posted on this before, but I'm drunk and watching it again, so i have to say this is the gig i would have killed to be at! if music was anymore exciting the world would explode!!! the best clip on youtube FACT!
when we heard this stuff as teenagers back in the 70s we were blown away. It was so contagious and the girls were so pretty/strange - and the band so willing to go out on a limb and be plain weird, that we were addicted. right down to the Mosrite guitar with only 4 strings - and Kate's staccatto keyboarding - they were genius. I loved best when the girls sang together, like on dirty back road.
So f$?@#% cool Imagine what it was to actually hear and see this young group for their first times Fantastic and how blessed are we for these unique geniuses to be in such a outstanding band ❤️👌💙😘
"Red snappers snapping -clam shells clapping-muscles flexing- flippers flapping." That is some frightening imagery.This song is a riot & a work of genius.
It's weird to think that 1) The B-52s started out rockin' out and 2) How little it takes to legitimately rock out. I've watched this video at least 50 times, and I'm always amazed. Thanks for uploading it!
Blows me away to think that I was only 11 when this video-performance came out... I'm thinking they didn't really know how well this song would become years later; it has only gotten better over time -- such a long-lasting B-52's classic -- one of my all-time favs of the band.
LOVE THE B52S.... AND THIS PERFORMANCE IS REALLY EDGY,RAW AND BRILLIANTLY SHOWCASED ON THE FABULOUS YOU TUBE.. .PS YES ITS IN B&W OR MONOCHROME....AND IT ADDS TO THE MYSTIQUE OF ALL THE BAND.... THANKS GUYS
I wonder if those lucky few in the audience that night had any idea about what a precious experience they were embarking upon? LONG LIVE THE B-52'S!!!!!!
I’m 50 as of 2018, and when b52’s came on the scene, (early 80’s) my dad was a high school teacher and musician as well. One of his high school student gave him a copy of this album and a Devo album. Needless to say that was a great time for me as an 8th grader listening to this on vinyl and being amazed!
Born in '78 & this is my fave song in the whole world.......EVER! I can't help but smile inside & want to rock the fuck out every time I hear it. Fab rare footage. Thanks for sharing :)
Words would not do justice to the feelings of gratitude i have to view/hear this recording.... all I can offer is my prayers of thanks.... Let's Rock!!!
This band is FANTASTIC! Could you imagine being in that small club dancing to this ecstatic music -what lucky people. If there was any justice in the world this band would have been playing in arena's in 1979. So original. So fresh. So much fun!
Early vids? Led Zeppelin was a well established famous band and had already toured America 5 times before the song was composed for their 4th studio album.
Priceless. What a great song, great performance, and amazing snapshot of a band about to be as big as they deserve to be. For all their happy popness, there was also an interesting Gang-of-Four-ish feel to the rhythmic approach-- just listen to how they end the song. Thanks for putting this up!
Awesome. Awesome. This song has been so enshrined in the halls of Kitsch one almost forgets that it was once a fresh piece of music created by a talented and ambitious group of young people. This video brings back all the excitement of when I first heard it in 78 or 79.
I think "kitsch" was the point of the B-52's. Kitsch was in opposition to "groovy", which was the old music inherited from the 60's. The kids wanted their own music apart from the over produced "peace ,love, and understanding" generation.
John Lennon before he died said this was the greatest band he ever heard. I agree. I saw these guys around 1980]79 at Roseland ballroom in NYC and it was the greatest concert I ever saw in my life. I was literally 2 feet from the stage, and at the end all these wallets and keys and coins were on the floor from these people freaking out so much LOL They were jumping and rolling around so much all their pockets emptied out.
Wow fantastic footage here, brilliant live version, really pumping! Still remember when I first heard this in 1980 and thinking how totally original they were. thanks for posting
At 5:22, That was inspired by her love of Yoko Ono, believe it or not... And John Lennon came back to record because he loved the sound of the B-52s and their acceptance of Ono...
I hated the B-52's until the first time I danced to "Rock Lobster" back in the '80s and I became a fan. You cannot truly appreciate this band until you've danced to them.
I'm so glad you pointed that out. I was reading these comments and saw yours. I thought, "hmm, I must be around there somewhere" and looked up to find it was at 5:30. Just in time!
I can still remember the sensation this song caused when we first played it on our college radio station in 1979, and how it became a favorite at our disco that year.
I was so sad to see this....I didn't hear of the B-52's till 1990...Missed some great performances...I liked ELO then, still do, but THIS is some VERY GOOD MUSIC.
The importance of this video isnt the B 52s its the chain of events in music that led to this one of a kind and special bubble in music that isolated this special and unique band.....they were able to artisticly unite music theams that were so groundbreaking..... only those who were at that moment in time would be able to understand and experience music as it happens....music is now extinct...
Bullshit. Get off your ass and get out there like the audience in this vid had to. I went to a pub recently and 3 old guys were in there singing songs they'd written themselves and they were awesome. Never made it, never tried to. They just play because they love it. They were well rehearsed, tight, loud, raw and great. They had one song called jesus is a drug like any other and it was so catchy, witty, clever and just a bit too close to the bone for some there. That edginess is great. Like the edginess in this performance. I was just walking down the street and heard music and went in. Yep great music is alive and well.
This is why RUclips is great.. A gem of a video.
Absolutely 💯 %!right about that one!
You're absolutely 💯 %!👌 ❤️ 💓 💙 💖 right about that one!
I saw the b-52's at the longhorn club in Minneapolis in the late '70s. They knew only six songs, and were quite proud of that, so they played Rock lobster several times. It was one of my first dates with my wife. We're still married we're like Rock Lobsters
I saw them in an arena in the early 80s, and during the "Down! Down!" part of this song, the entire arena full of people fell to the floor and jumped back up when the riff resumed. It was amazing.
I was a preteen in Orlando in the very early '80s and would go to a skate rink on Fridays or Saturdays that would become an underage dance club. This was always played and we all dropped and then popped back up when the song started up again. One of my great memories. I wish I could pop back up that easily now! ;)
Amazing how Kate did the bass line and all the melody organ on the keyboards, while still managing to sing. What a talented chick.
I directed the video live with two cameras. The club was so loud that even with headphones none of us could hear each other. I told the cameramen to do their best and I'd switch as needed. I had to shout once for camera one and twice for camera two so they'd know I was taking their camera. I probably had to dump from one to the other at 5:45 because of a dancer in the way or something.
Awesome - great to know how you managed to direct this musical mayhem.
Are you serious??? So lucky!!! I was one year old at the the time. So jealous!!!
the world owes you a debt of gratitude, sir! Would've loved to have been there. Apparently the highest singer in the south on that night!
The cameras were HUGE too. Thought you were gonna give me a concussion if you panned left.
thank you for capturing their best version! i'm an old bastard of 59 so in know how good this is! fab! Tx
i am not the type of guy who says, that in the past everything was better - but when i hear and see this video, there is a good reason to say so. ricky wilson r.i.p.
was there! 18 years young!
Wowsers. Fun stuff!
I wish I was there right now!
:)!!! Lucky you!!!
Nobody take pictures?
lies.
While everyone else in the band is going completely wild, Ricky Wilson in his quiet genius, stands there stoically driving the whole performance forward as he cranks out the best rock guitar rifs ever. Gone but not forgotten.
I have to agree, I'd like to hear just guitar as a separate video/ audio file.
Amazing
Ricky was so gifted, I meant to say, he didn't didn't string the two middle strings
Ricky Wilson is one of the most underrated guitarists. Completely original style.
I heard he removed the middle two strings of his guitar.
Ricky Wilson is not underrated, he's a legend.
ta dah
Absolutely!
@@WingsOfDay Both
I really can't believe that this song is that old. Such a great band a great song. Long live the B-52s.
still one of the most punk performances out here !
Absolutely
without a doubt!
Rockabilly
Amazing......Awesome......unforgettable my high schol... this song drunky..funky Lima Perú , what times 😌
This performance crushes anything out today. Just balls blazing rock.
Completely agree!!!
Complete talent, that's lost today. No creativity at all today. Almost everything is done by machine.
@@paulwalrond8836 Yikes. If you think the entire world just stopped being creative except for a very small sliver of time that just happened to align with your youth, you might want to take a look inward first.
I was there! What a night!
at that time i was 5 years old... tell us the history ... i loved the 70s and 80s ...
oydave I didn’t see you there.
never forget my first vist to the...South...dang they know how to have a good time
oh what a night - in 1962 oh what a night
I first heard this song at a party October 1979. I was a college freshman and it blew my mind. Disco was in the dust and New Wave was it!
Me too!
You and I are the same age.
LOVE THIS!!! I didn't know this video existed. My friends and I were all there at this concert. It was hot & sweaty and wonderful. We never missed a B's show anywhere near Atlanta from the birthday party at the Jewish Country Club on. I remember the first time going down down to the floor during Rock L. was at Emory Univ Dining Hall show even before this one. This band was way ahead of it's time and set the standard for Party bands. We honored them with gallons of sweat on the dancefloor.
“Honored them with gallons of sweat on the dance floor” Beautiful sentiment.
That’s a amazing that you saw them at this time. I’ve been watching a few of their early live shows on RUclips and it has the vibe of going to the Rocky horror picture show viewing.
It just looks do damn fun.
Jesus, this is the best garage band ever!
This song was fire from day one! The band is not as tight as they would be months later, but still the energy is there!
This is internet gold! Thank you for posting!
Paulo Santiago I don't know I think they are pretty damn tight here for such a song as this
I experienced my first pot high whilst at a B52’s concert with my first boyfriend. Damn I loved that band- still do. They touch my soul.
I remember hearing this song for the first time around 1980 and it was so fresh like nothing else I had heard and still sounds like that now ...
Every single time I’ve heard this song for the past 40+ years, I wished it was 30 minutes longer ❤️
Friggin awesome! It really is! Rambuctiously raw and all the better for it!
I've posted on this before, but I'm drunk and watching it again, so i have to say this is the gig i would have killed to be at! if music was anymore exciting the world would explode!!!
the best clip on youtube FACT!
Dont forget, waitresses work for tips ;)
Completely agree!!!
This is undoubtedly the BEST Music Video EVER recorded....those people in the audienc had NO idea they'd be a part of MUSIC HISTORY! ROCK ROCK
They absolutely start shredding at 5:20 min !!!!! So classic! Wish people made music like this now a days!
when we heard this stuff as teenagers back in the 70s we were blown away. It was so contagious and the girls were so pretty/strange - and the band so willing to go out on a limb and be plain weird, that we were addicted.
right down to the Mosrite guitar with only 4 strings - and Kate's staccatto keyboarding - they were genius.
I loved best when the girls sang together, like on dirty back road.
So f$?@#% cool
Imagine what it was to actually hear and see this young group for their first times
Fantastic and how blessed are we for these unique geniuses to be in such a outstanding band ❤️👌💙😘
"Red snappers snapping -clam shells clapping-muscles flexing- flippers flapping." That is some frightening imagery.This song is a riot & a work of genius.
Amazing performance. Saw raw and real. Fred looks so young! "I'm a waiter" he says. You can sense their youthful energy and hunger. Great stuff!
So young. His arms look like they've been squeezed out of a toothpaste tube that morning.
still one of the most punk performances out here !
I love at about 5:46 when Kate goes into the bass part she does a little wiggle.
It's weird to think that 1) The B-52s started out rockin' out and 2) How little it takes to legitimately rock out. I've watched this video at least 50 times, and I'm always amazed. Thanks for uploading it!
Same as nirvana
Blows me away to think that I was only 11 when this video-performance came out... I'm thinking they didn't really know how well this song would become years later; it has only gotten better over time -- such a long-lasting B-52's classic -- one of my all-time favs of the band.
LOVE THE B52S.... AND THIS PERFORMANCE IS REALLY EDGY,RAW AND BRILLIANTLY SHOWCASED ON THE FABULOUS YOU TUBE..
.PS YES ITS IN B&W OR MONOCHROME....AND IT ADDS TO THE MYSTIQUE OF ALL THE BAND.... THANKS GUYS
I wonder if those lucky few in the audience that night had any idea about what a precious experience they were embarking upon? LONG LIVE THE B-52'S!!!!!!
They freaking rocked that song
the off key and off tempo segments make this performance a true classic.
still one of the most punk performances out here !
That's so great about RUclips.
You gotta see these moments in musical history…
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Bought this the day it was released in London, great days
I’m 50 as of 2018, and when b52’s came on the scene, (early 80’s) my dad was a high school teacher and musician as well. One of his high school student gave him a copy of this album and a Devo album. Needless to say that was a great time for me as an 8th grader listening to this on vinyl and being amazed!
I'm 52 years old and I can't believe how much i still like this. The first time I heard it was on SNL.
Born in '78 & this is my fave song in the whole world.......EVER!
I can't help but smile inside & want to rock the fuck out every time I hear it.
Fab rare footage. Thanks for sharing :)
Never in music was so much fun owed by so many to so few.
it's so beautiful
it's so good we have band like The B-52's!
OMG i was 5 and im still dancing to this song every week
We used to see them around Atlanta. Timeless. Kate is beautiful!!!
What a stellar performance, I really wish I could see them live in person.
the off key and off tempo segments make this performance a true classic.
Anything with drugs sounds better
Still the greatest party song ever.
I'm so glad there are a million+ other people out there that think this is cool too
New Wave Music at its best!! This song will never get old or go out of style.
Words would not do justice to the feelings of gratitude i have to view/hear this recording.... all I can offer is my prayers of thanks.... Let's Rock!!!
I love how raw and unrefined its so real uk!
GREAT GREAT Version Live , Must have been Surreal to have been there , What an experience !
I like Fred's statement at the end. His life changed a month later
sooooo lucky, omg really ... to be there ... we did this dance in my high school years ... its a nice connection ...
I love how the back ground vocals are off pitch at times. Even the B 52s we’re rookies at one time. Killer performance though. !!!!!
This band is FANTASTIC! Could you imagine being in that small club dancing to this ecstatic music -what lucky people. If there was any justice in the world this band would have been playing in arena's in 1979. So original. So fresh. So much fun!
Gawd this shit is priceless!
Great time capsule ! Great live performance. I miss those days.
So old yet so amazing !
very cool seeing this iconic song and group before "it" all happened. the melodies and structure of this song is genius.
I love u guys, RIP Ricky.
This Band made the late 70s bearable. Most exciting band in America.
It's like the early vids of LedZep doing "Stairway to Heaven"; the people watching have no idea of the history they're witnessing.
Truly ...
yeah, we all don't appreciate the book learning. Nobody is smart besides you. Typical liberal bs.
''It's like the early vids of LedZep doing "Stairway to Heaven" You can't compare Stairway to heaven to a shellfish song....
Early vids? Led Zeppelin was a well established famous band and had already toured America 5 times before the song was composed for their 4th studio album.
john thomas oww you mean the small intro part made by taurus? thats nothing
History, no copies, real thing.
Props to the sound man!
Joseph Sullivan Indeed!
Thank you kmills74
Amazing Footage. You can tell how well rehearsed they were because that isn't an easy song to do.
Great video of a fun, creative band. Thanks for posting.
Born in 1964 and raised on rock and this tunes ROCKS!
great original footage of my and Americas favorite party band.great post
I graduated high school and went to college listening to the most awesome band ever- B-52's. life was so good with this music as background.
This is as good as it gets! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing. Anyone who thinks the B52s are just a novelty act isn't listening. They were so good and so influential on so many fronts.
i find it spectacular that in the "down" part they really lower their bodies, genius Fred!!!
Over 40 years ago.... Thanks for the video... Live in NJ heard this song on wpix 101.9 FM at the time....
Hey Fred.... More Cowbell!!!!
Great performance!
One for the ages!
Priceless. What a great song, great performance, and amazing snapshot of a band about to be as big as they deserve to be. For all their happy popness, there was also an interesting Gang-of-Four-ish feel to the rhythmic approach-- just listen to how they end the song. Thanks for putting this up!
No me canso de verlo lo he visto 100 veces 500 veces y no me canso de verlo como me gusta
This is so cool.
Oh Yeah!
Was lucky enough to see them do this ,still on my playlist
At 5:44 Kate Pierson starts that baseline on the Korg. Love it!
is that not a farfisa
I first heard them in 1979 as a 12 year old, got started in punk rock then I went to work for the red hot chili peppers. Great song and band.
Interesting to see such an old recording. Must have been such a groundbreakingly new sound at that time.
Awesome. Awesome. This song has been so enshrined in the halls of Kitsch one almost forgets that it was once a fresh piece of music created by a talented and ambitious group of young people. This video brings back all the excitement of when I first heard it in 78 or 79.
I think "kitsch" was the point of the B-52's. Kitsch was in opposition to "groovy", which was the old music inherited from the 60's. The kids wanted their own music apart from the over produced "peace ,love, and understanding" generation.
Freds days as a waiter were soon to be over :-)
Historic video for damn sure
this footage needs to be preserved...love it
John Lennon before he died said this was the greatest band he ever heard. I agree. I saw these guys around 1980]79 at Roseland ballroom in NYC and it was the greatest concert I ever saw in my life. I was literally 2 feet from the stage, and at the end all these wallets and keys and coins were on the floor from these people freaking out so much LOL They were jumping and rolling around so much all their pockets emptied out.
Wow fantastic footage here, brilliant live version, really pumping! Still remember when I first heard this in 1980 and thinking how totally original they were.
thanks for posting
At 5:22, That was inspired by her love of Yoko Ono, believe it or not... And John Lennon came back to record because he loved the sound of the B-52s and their acceptance of Ono...
Don't remember exact details, but based on what I remember reading back in the day, you're spot on with your assessment.
Excellent point.
I hated the B-52's until the first time I danced to "Rock Lobster" back in the '80s and I became a fan. You cannot truly appreciate this band until you've danced to them.
all of a sudden Athens was on the map in the arts
One of THE important punk/new wave bands, along with Ramones, Blondie. Very original.
I love at about 5:46 when Kate goes into the bass part she does a little wiggle.
Me too, so sexy :)
I'm so glad you pointed that out. I was reading these comments and saw yours. I thought, "hmm, I must be around there somewhere" and looked up to find it was at 5:30. Just in time!
She is dying just to dance!
She had a lot of jobs in the band. I'm always amazed when she could sing and play the bass line on the keyboards at the same time.
I can still remember the sensation this song caused when we first played it on our college radio station in 1979, and how it became a favorite at our disco that year.
I can't believe how good the audio is on this.
Ricky's tone sounds even better than the album cut.
Great stuff. Thanks for putting this up!
God this is sooooooooooo classic. I actually was a teenager when this first came out! LOL
I was so sad to see this....I didn't hear of the B-52's till 1990...Missed some great performances...I liked ELO then, still do, but THIS is some VERY GOOD MUSIC.
Saw them at EM Loew's in Worcester on 11/10/83, to this day the most fun I've ever had at a concert.
The importance of this video isnt the B 52s its the chain of events in music that led to this one of a kind and special bubble in music that isolated this special and unique band.....they were able to artisticly unite music theams that were so groundbreaking..... only those who were at that moment in time would be able to understand and experience music as it happens....music is now extinct...
Bullshit. Get off your ass and get out there like the audience in this vid had to. I went to a pub recently and 3 old guys were in there singing songs they'd written themselves and they were awesome. Never made it, never tried to. They just play because they love it. They were well rehearsed, tight, loud, raw and great. They had one song called jesus is a drug like any other and it was so catchy, witty, clever and just a bit too close to the bone for some there.
That edginess is great. Like the edginess in this performance. I was just walking down the street and heard music and went in.
Yep great music is alive and well.