The White House is no “Love Shack,” and when push comes to shove, well, the B-52s are getting pushed and shoved out of the picture. The New Wave group has been booted from the itinerary of a state dinner the Bidens are throwing for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The reason given is that, apparently, it would be inappropriate to groove to the B-52s while an unrelated conflict rages elsewhere in the world.
“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. So we made a few adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening,” First Lady Jill Biden announced on Tuesday (via The Hill). Instead of the B-52s, “The president’s own Marine Band and the Army and Air Force Strolling Strings will provide instrumental music for the dinner,” she said.
Though Biden didn’t say so directly, the “sorrow and pain” she mentioned clearly references the violence occurring in Israel and Palestine. There have been many similar reactive decisions made across the entertainment industry, including the cancellation of the MTV Europe Music Awards and the Cairo International Film Festival.
The Australian Prime Minister was invited to the White House after President Joe Biden canceled a visit to Australia to deal with Congressional budget issues last May, according to The Washington Post. Per the outlet, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “there is no more important time than now” for the two leaders to meet.
Although they won’t get to break out the hits, the B-52s are at least still invited to attend the dinner, which takes place on Wednesday. “Nurturing our partnerships and relationships with our allies is critically important, especially in these tumultuous times,” Jill Biden said (via The Washington Post). “Food is comforting, reassuring and healing, and we hope that this dinner provides a little of that as well.”