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Like many fans who had seen Mike Love's touring band since the departure of the Jardine clan and the (far sadder) death of Carl Wilson, I was somewhat disappointed in July of 1999 when I saw the "Beach Boys" in Boston at the Bank Boston Pavilion (also posted). The Boys seemed rather passive and almost seemed to go through the motions, surprisingly making it through 34 songs.
Don't get me wrong, the music was okay, but it just didn't seem like a real Beach Boys show. When the band was introduced, the Beach Boys just kind of wandered on to the stage and methodically started playing "Surfin' Safari." The songs seemed less meaningful and the arrangement was unusually random and many songs seemed out of place. To make matters worse, all Love did was talk about Bill Clinton (aren't the Beach Boys here to get our minds off that stuff?)!
But when I saw the Beach Boys for a second time in Hampton Beach, just 10 minutes away from my house, it was an entirely different story. The show had just been announced a week or two beforehand, and word was going around that there was not going to be that big of a turnout. When I arrived with some friends and family, people were actually stopping in the middle of the road when they saw the words "BEACH BOYS" posted on the marquee out front. Needless to say that by the time the group was arriving, the place was pretty full.
About 20 minutes before the show began, while a local opening act was performing, the sidedoors of the ballroom opened up, and two men came walking through. As they came closer, I realized that one of them was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a ballcap--it was Mike Love! I had also heard a rumor that the Boys eat Raisin Bran every night before they perform, and I also think that I saw to bowls being brought backstage.
Just when the crowd was getting restless, I heard a familiar voice say "Ready!", and then, the lights went down! With that, a bright flashlight began making its way across the stage, and then another until it became obvious that the entire band was now taking the stage. The crowd went wild! I couldn't believe it! It was just like the old days! With that, an announcer said "Ladies and gentlemen, here they are! An American Band--The Beach Boys!" Then, the introduction to California Girls began playing, and the lights went up just in time for Mike Love to begin singing, leading to a standing ovation!
Because I was astonished by the vintage quality of the music, it took me a while to notice that the Boys had dancers in bathing suit tops and mini skirts, an occurance that had been rare since the original band split up. "Do it Again" was performed next, and Mike Love came down and gave me a thumbs up, because I was sitting in the front row wearing one of his patented Beach Boys hats.
The next impressive song was "Don't Worry Baby," as the audience got into the song right away by clapping during the piano/guitar duet. The Boys also pulled off another surprise, by performing "You're So Good to Me," which got an even bigger crowd response. Things were going so well that ater on when the doo-wop medley was introduced, the crowd actually booed when Mike said the group was going to perform three songs that "aren't even Beach Boys songs!"
When the car medley was introduced, Mike said that it was time to perform some "Automotive Classics," starting with Little Deuce Coupe, then 409 ("Some people just think that's the year that song was made!"-Love), Shut Down ("Of course we don't encourage that kind of racing!"), The Little Old Lady...("Actually by Jan and Dean!"), and I Get Around, which this time did not lead to any Clinton jokes!
Love then said that the group would be performing some songs from the band's hit album "Pet Sounds," which drew some applause. Mike took this time to praise Brian, which drew another large applause. Mike then talked about a year and a half ago, when his cousin Carl died. He then introduced Bruce Johnston to sing "God Only Knows," dedicating it to Carl, who "sang it so beautifully." Love then stepped out of the spotlight, and did not reappear throughout the whole song.
After the Pet Sounds set, the group then performed three number one's in a row, starting with Good Vibrations. When the end of the song came, the part with "Got to keep those love-good...", the group did like in the 1980 D.C. show, by letting the audience sing the coda while the vocalists did some "other parts."
Kokomo was up next, and got the biggest response out of any of the songs performed, with many teenagers from the Still Cruisin' era singing along. At the end of the "scheduled set," the group went offstage for a good three minutes, while the crowd stood on its feet and cheered for an encore. The Boys took an abnormally long amount of time before coming back on stage, to perform Back in the U.S.S.R. and Fun, Fun, Fun. At the close, Bruce Johnston said, "Let's do it again next year!"
So there you have it, after expecting an older, more methodical Beach Boys band, what I got was the old surf boards, dancers, and setlist of the vintage Beach Boys touring days. It was an enourmous treat and the best way possible to end my summer vacation, as I was starting school the next day (by the way, I'm 17).
If the Beach Boys were always able to perform shows like this, then they would definitely be one of the top draws in music again.
I would certainly hope that Brian Wilson, Dave Marks and John Stamos would consider returning to the band, and then, I think that it would be entirely possible for the Beach Boys to once again fill the biggest venues in the country and the world, just for one last ride. There's definitely a lot of potential.
Contributed by: Jon R.