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The amphitheater has a covered stage, but all of the seating is open to the elements. I think the capacity is about 5,000 and it was 90% full for all the show. It has been raining all the day but not during the show. At the 7.30PM begins the opening act, a duo (piano and voice) called "Rosfelds" I think. They sing for about 30 minutes. As they play the BB, the band and their family have walk behind them on stage to go backstage. People recognize them and call them. I recognize Bruce's wife and son, Mike's son (Brian) and wife (veery nice) and Carriann, Dave's girlfriend (she has REALLY red hair !). Bruce is in short pants and I'm ROTFLMAO. The Beach Boys concert begins at 8:15PM as Mike introduce the band : "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, America's band, the Beach Boys" The first songs have some volume trouble, and the drums sounds awully and loud (especially the tomtoms) for the entire show. I made a couple of signs which I had been showing through the show.
SONG BY SONG :
1. California Girls :
You know.
2. Do It Again :
Mike asks to pump up volume of every mic. Now that
I think, the song could be canned.
4. Do You Wanna Dance? :
Dave's voice is not very audible but he doesn't sing
so bad. Guitar solo by Phil I think.
5. Little Honda :
Faster faster ! Played really faster.
At this song I show my first sign : "LESS OLDIES,
MORE MUSIC". Bruce read it and then tells me (I
read the lips) "You, Back Home!". Guys, he gave me
really a look filled with hate. Mike read the sign and
continue to sing. At the end of the song Mike
introduces Dave Marks ("...a Beach Boy, fabolous")
and Adrian Baker.
6. Surfer Girl :
Dave on solo.
7. Don't Worry Baby :
Just like the "Nascar" version. Drums too loud.
8. Hushabye :
Drums and percussion too loud. Harmonies are
good but nothing more. Dave on solo. After this we
won't hear Dave anymore.
9. Wendy :
Another song for Adrian. Good work but too slow.
Bruce on solo.
10. Duke Of Earl :
Great, great Phil ! He really sounds cool ! Mike does
a good work as well (bass part). Harmonies are OK.
11. Sherry :
An incredible, fantastic cover version. They really
sound like the Four Seasons.....but shouldn't they be
the Beach Boys ? Adrian has really a perfect Four
Seasons falsetto... but these are supposed to be
The Beach Boys. Anyway, very cool.
12. Why Do Fools Fall In Love :
Great, fabulous a capella intro. Everyone sings
(except for Meros & Kowalski who have no mic).
Harmonies are spot on. Again, they sound like the
Four Seasons. A wonderful outro. I loved Phil on this.
Bruce told to Mike to say to the audience this was the
B side of "Fun, Fun, Fun".
13. Little Deuce Coupe
Mike does his old usual intro "...the audience here is
too sophisticated for songs like..." and I show my
second sign "YES ! WE'RE TOO SOPHISTICATED !".
Bruce says to Mike "Incredible! Look at that sign....".
Mike look at me very, very badly and continue his
job. The vocals are canned and the song is sooo
slow. Nobody sings but vocals are on... They
should say "Now a slow song...LDC...".
14. 409
Slow.
15. The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
Slow. Bruce does the falsetto and is very good.
16. Shut Down
Slow. There's no sax solo and Dave do the guitar
solo.
17. I Get Around
Slow.
18. In My Room
While Mike introduces the backup band I shout to
Bruce "Somewhere Near In Japan". I have to shout it
a couple of times but then Bruce understand and give
me a big OK. He tells me that's a good choice and
that the song is really beautiful (always reading lips).
Well, then why they don't play it ? Before the song
Mike says "We're around since 1961 so see ya in an
hour..."
19. You're So Good To Me (Chris Farmer)
A little slow, but it's ok. I miss Al.
20, Darlin' (Phil Bardowell)
Great Phil ! Carl would be proud. I think he IS proud.
21. California Dreamin' (Chris Farmer/Phil Bardowell)
Awful new arrangiament I think. Nice lead by Chris and
excellent by Phil. No sax solo, of course. Audience
seems to really appreciate this cover.
22. Cottonfields (Chris Farmer)
Everyone in the audience knows the song, it's very
popular in Germany. Nice lead by Chris. Phil has the
partiture of the song at his feet and has to read the tab
while he plays. At the end of the song Bruce admited
that was the first time they was playing it in a long time.
In fact, it was not perfect. I'd have preferred "Heroes
& Villains".
23. God Only Knows (Bruce)
Mike introduces the song as Carl's trademark. Bruce
sings it beautifully. It was the first time I could hear his
keyboard. Mike plays sleighbells. Chris, Adrian and
Phil join Bruce at the coda. I must admit I was almost
crying. There was a sad atmosphere. Bruce ends
with "...for Carl Wilson" so I show my third sign : "CARL
WE MISS YOU". Bruce replies "We too". Mike turns
his thumb up. The audience claps. Deep moment.
24. Sloop John B. (Bruce, Mike & Phil)
I've never liked this song but everything is ok.
25. Wouldn't It Be Nice (Bruce & Mike)
Phils sings the verses and he sings them very good.
26. Good Vibrations (Adrian Baker)
Mike : "We're gonna do three number-one songs.
GV, Kokomo and... In 1966 when the parents of your
parents were just children we had a number one with
GV and 22 sHOrT years later we had another number
one with Kokomo". People clap. Then Mike do a
long talk about drugs, psychedely (sp?) and how the
then-President of the United States used to smoke
joints.... Very weird.
Drums don't stop during the slow section of "gotta
keep those lovin' good..." and it's really horrible.
I show another sign : "BRIAN WILSON IS HERE
WITH US". Bruce smiles and Mike make the "wave"
with the hands... do you know what I mean ?
27. Kokomo (Phil Bardowell on solo)
Bruce introduce the song. Phil, as always, is very
good. His voice is very close to Carl's. He's not
Carl's. Some trouble with volumes .
28. Help Me, Rhonda (Chris Farmer)
This is Al's song, Chris is good but with no soul on this.
Bruce points his mic to the audience. Brian Love
(Mike's son) joins his father.
29. Surf City
Bruce, and all the audience, on falsetto. Slow.
30. Surfin' Safari
Slow. Dave plays the guitar solo.
31. Surfin' USA
Slow. Dave plays the guitar intro. Bruce's son joins.
He's very tall, as Bruce make us notice. Bruce wants
his son to play the keyboard but he looks very
uncomfortable and shy.
---encore---
32. Back In USSR
Same usual intro by Mike : "I was in India in 1967
when Paul McCartney came down to breakfast with a
melody...and WE just wrote this song.. True, he put
that on his biography Now, we're gonna do Beach
Boys' version of Beatles' version of a Beach Boys
song."
33. Barbara Ann
Lot of guest star. Brian Love, Bruce's son, the two
guys of the opening act, a piece of....ehm... a nice girl
of the security service, and so on...
In few words, everyone who was on backstage.
The best part is when Mike's wife (did I say she's very
nice ?) joins Tim Bonham for a "fake" keyboard solo.
34. Fun, Fun, Fun
A classic way to end a gig but it still works. Everyone
is havin' fun. They play an extended coda.
I show my last sign "(almost) 40 YEARS OF
HARMONY".
The party is over, everyone go home.
First, I'd like to say just one thing :
- 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 21, 22, 24, 29, 33, 24 - cover songs (11 on 34 !!!) - 1 original song post 1970 - 32 songs pre 1970
Overall this was a good concert. Everyone seemed to be having a good time both on stage and on the audience.
MIKE = he's the same hard working guy of some tens of years ago. He sings just about all his parts. Someone throw to him a big beach ball and he plays with it. He didn't play his sax solo on "Shut Down", maybe it was gettin' too hard to him. He's old and fat, anyway.
BRUCE = I'm sorry he didn't play with his short pants... You can hear him in every harmony but you can't hear his keyboard (is this a news ?). We talked (always reading lips) a lot during the show. I think he hates me, now.
DAVE : Useless. Sorry, but they could have use a scarecrows and nobody would have noticed the difference. He's NOT on the harmony and plays just a couple of riff which I can play as well. He pretend to have fun, but he's very uncomfortable. Useless.
ADRIAN = He has not fun. He sings very well but I bet he'd have loved to be in some other place.
PHIL = excellent ! We "talked" a lot during the show. He was ROTFLHAO reading my signs and watching my face during the oldies. He's a gentleman and sings SO beautifully. He played all the guitar parts. My fav "Beach Boys".
CHRIS = he looked uncomfortable but played and sang everything he had to. He's supposed to be the music director.
M.MEROS = he's really the "music" of the band. If you hear a note of keyboard then it's Mike Meros. Hard working guy. He's also been very kind and funny when I met him before the show.
M.KOWALSKI = I've never liked his drumming, but that night he made several mistakes. I think he had some monitor troubles.
T.BONHAM = I could't hear what he was playing. He doesn't play and sing very much. He looked very uncomfortable.
BRIAN LOVE = just like his father...it's not a compliment. BRUCE'S SON (MAX ?) = shy, I hope he won't grow up like his dad. MIKE'S WIFE (if Mike didn't change his mind since last week...) : very nice and likeable.
COMMENT :
- I'm happy I saw them ?
Yes, definitely
- Were they good ?
Yes !
- Did I see the Beach Boys ?
No
- What did I see ?
A good oldies BB band with one and half original members.
Ok, that was the last time for me to see "The Beach Boys" in my life.. I had to do many miles to see them but I'm very happy I did. Why I went to see them ? This was my thought : I missed the 60's, the 70's (I wasn't even born), the 80's and half of the 90's , I know I'll miss Brian and Al but I'm not going to miss the last chance I have, even though they're just ruins of the Beach Boys.
I think there're not many who doesn't like Mike & Bruce as I do. They could be despicables guys, but on stage they still are the Beach Boys. They're the Beach Boys playing with a good oldies band. They play Beach Boys music very well, people think is going to see the real Beach Boys and everyone is happy. Maybe it's just this that matter.
If you have any question, feel free to ask.
Sorry for my english and thank you for your time.
STE
Contributed by: STE