The B-52s will not perform at the state dinner for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as planned, with military musicians playing for the guests instead, first lady Jill Biden said on Tuesday.
The decision to have the US Marine Band and the Air Force Strolling Strings perform instead of the American rock band behind hits such as “Love Shack” was made in the wake of the Hamas assault against Israel on Oct. 7 and the war that resulted.
“While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain,” Biden said. “So we made a few adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening.”
The First Lady said the members of the B-52s would attend the dinner on Wednesday night as guests instead of performing.
