B-52s singer marries couple before show
B-52s singer Kate Pierson had a departure from her preshow routine as she married two of her fans before the band took the stage. Nathan Garcia, a lifelong fan of the fun-loving New Wave band, eagerly contacted Pierson when he saw The B-52s were playing in his native Austin, Texas. Garcia and his new husband, Benny Vanden Avond, headed backstage Thursday at the Moody Theater where Pierson-ready to perform in a purple dress and scarves-administered their vows.
"I've enjoyed their music for a huge chunk of my life and I thought it would be really fun when I found out that she married people," said Garcia, 47, who books performers for the annual Austin Pride celebration. Sporting matching jackets designed by a friend in a fawn-like pattern, Garcia and VandenAvond added a touch of The B-52s into their vows. They worked in a line from the song "Give Me Back My Man": "I'll give you fish / I'll give you candy / I'll give you everything I have in my hand."
The newlywed couple then went directly to the wedding entertainment of dancing to The B-52s, the group best known for the 1989 hit "Love Shack." Pierson, who has performed other weddings but does not advertise the service, is ordained by the Universal Life Church, a modern denomination whose motto is "do that which is right." It was only the latest merging of nuptials and performance by Garcia, a passionate music fan who said he has 10,000 records or CDs.
He proposed in 2015 during Austin's Fun Fun Fun music festival during a set by Peaches, the electropop singer known for her sexually provocative lyrics, who brought them up to stage as dancers. "Benny had no clue and when he saw me walk out he was like, 'Oh,' because I can dance to anything," he said. But his possible anger turned to delight as Garcia pulled out a ring. Afterward, Peaches fired the festival's "taco cannon." — AFP