B-52s dropping into Las Vegas

The legendary B-52s helped pave the way for new wave music and fun-punk rock. "Rock Lobster," "Love Shack," "Planet Claire" and "Channel Z" still sound vibrant in concert.

But someone threw bricks at the band when they started out as nobodies in Athens, Ga.

"We used to go to this club at this old train station," singer Kate Pierson tells me. "And people threw bricks at us."

Why? Because looking new wave in 1978 was less accepted.

"Keith (Strickland) had this little red wig on, and we were just dressed really crazy," she says. "I think they were just some drunk frat boys who threw something, but no one got hit."

Then in 1979, the B-52s started changing negative people's minds when their singles debuted.

"The next year" -- the year after the brick throwing, Pierson says, "the fraternities are blasting 'Planet Claire' out their windows."

The band was named for the B-52 beehives Pierson and Cindy Wilson wore. Lately, they've scaled back the 'dos.

"The Beyoncé beehive is hard to out-beehive. ... We still have some outrageous styles, but ..." Pierson says and laughs, "enough with the hair already."

They almost didn't name themselves the B-52s. The liberal musicians were worried people would associate them with B-52 bombers.

"When we thought of the implications of that, we thought of all these different names: The Attack Elephants ... The Orgasmathons.

"There was one (potential name) called The Organizers," she says. "All of us would wear beehives, and all of us would play organs.

"But the B-52s just seemed right."

After all their outrageous years, the B-52s play Saturday at fancy Pure nightclub at Caesars ($45). Pierson is intrigued.

"Do you know this club we're playing at Caesars?" she asked me. "Because I looked at the Web site and it was ... very, very chi-chi."

Yes, it's chi-chi, but there's no way the B-52s will bomb.

FREE LIMP BIZKIT

The rockers play a free all-ages show Saturday at The Pearl at the Palms. You can get two tickets on a first-come, first-served basis at noon Saturday. Fans get free T-shirts.

HUGH HEFNER HERE

He's got tickets for Saturday's 8 p.m. "Peepshow," starring his ex, Holly Madison. He's bringing "girlfriends" to see her -- because every woman performing topless publicly wants her ex to show up with a bunch of babes, right?

JEWEL'S TEETH

"My snaggletooth skit? I wrote that. ... I thought it was hilarious." -- Jewel tells me about her funny snaggletooth sketch on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" She chats with me some more in the back of today's Neon section. She sings Saturday at Aliante Station.

Contact Doug Elfman at 702-383-0391 or e-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He also blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.