ATHENS — The first act booked for the Classic Center Arena was kept a secret until Monday. The reveal wasn’t a surprise.
The B-52s, the iconic new wave band and Athens music royalty, will play the first concert in the new venue on Dec. 14, the Classic Center and Live Nation announced during a press conference.
“As a band that put Athens on the musical map and paved the way for so many others to find success, I could not be more excited to have The B-52s open the Classic Center Arena,” said Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz.
The B-52s and the Classic Center already have a strong connection. Formed in Athens in 1976, the band, with members Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider and Keith Strickland, closed out its farewell tour — “The Final Tour Ever on Planet Earth” — in January of 2023 at the neighboring Classic Center Theatre. The B-52s are currently in residency at The Venetian in Las Vegas through this fall.
The B-52s “embody the spirit of the Athens music scene from the very start,” said Velena Vego, the longtime booker for the 40 Watt Club in downtown Athens who also works with Live Nation
The professional hockey team that will call the arena home is named The Rock Lobsters, a nod to a B-52s hit song. A fan vote determined the name for the expansion franchise.
Construction of the $151 million arena, after many setbacks, is on track for completion by mid-November, said Paul Cramer, CEO of the Classic Center.
Located downtown near the University of Georgia’s campus, the Classic Center Arena can accommodate 5,500 to 8,500, depending on the configuration. The Classic Center Theatre seats about 2,000 people, while the Georgia Theatre in downtown Athens has a capacity of about 1,000.
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
Credit: Nell Carroll for the AJC
“This is only the beginning of taking the Athens music scene to the next level,” Vego said. “... We can now host arena shows that would never have come to Athens but probably always wanted to.”
Classic Center management has previously announced it will aim to book 25 concerts per year along with family shows (such as “Disney on Ice”), sporting events, community events and conventions.
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