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Post by mikev on May 9, 2012 7:34:26 GMT -5
What an amazing concert! At Tuesday night’s Beacon Theater concert by the Beach Boys I was even satisfied with Mike Love’s performance, and would rather he be there than not considering it was the full band or at least what is left.
Performing more than 40 songs in the concert, The Beach Boys performed the obligatory hits including my favorite early era tune “You’re So Good To Me” along with more obscure songs like “The Little Girl I Once Knew,” an early non-charting single that I actually thought was off their new album until I checked later. Another deep cut was “All This is That”, a song Love and Jardine wrote about TM. The group also played their new single: “Why God Made The Radio”, which may not chart in today’s market, but was as magnificent as ANY of their classics with the possible exception of “Good Vibrations”. It’s also the title track of a new album due in June.
After an intermission, the band opened with the more modern era songs, including their cover of “California Dreaming” and “Sail on Sailor”. Smile was only addressed with “Heroes and Villains”, but when the band did “Sloop John B” and “Wouldn’t it Be Nice”, there was a spontaneous explosion and standing ovation for the surviving Wilson, who sat at a grand piano and tinkered with it, sang lead on at least 10 songs, and actually “played” bass on the last two songs before the encore (the real bassist maintained his position and scales).
MOST of the adulation (heaviest applause and love -no pun intended) for the evening was for Brian. Al also got a lot of heavy cheer and did sing all of his hits. I did not detect any noticible animosity between him and Love, but I think Love was definitely put off by the crowd's leanings. It was that obvious, from the opening intros on that many were there because of Brian and Al.
The “old” guitarist David Marks (the band’s Shemp), who replaced Jardine for a short time in 1962 and has performed in latter-day Beach Boys lineups, joined in on vocal harmonies and played several surf-rock leads. Also introducing the band and playing guitar and drums on several cuts was Uncle Jessie (John Stamos), who spontaneously ran out on stage to reprise his Full House cover of “Forever”, when Dennis Wilson’s video vocal of the song cut out. He ran about back and forth from the stage like a band nephew who always gets a back stage pass, but most of the younger people were probably there because of the Beach Boys’ numerous appearances on the show. And the dude really can drum (I think there were four drummers in all- but the set up was only one kit and a percussion set).
The band was also accompanied by most of the Wondermints, studio level musicians that helped Brian Wilson in his recent tours. Jeff Foskett, the guitarist from the group, was actually lead singer on most of the high falsetto vocals (generally filling in on Carl’s parts), including the lead of “Don’t Worry Baby.” Foskett also played in close range with Wilson, seemingly acting as a coach and assistant. I recognized many of the Wondermints from the DVDs of Brian’s live Smile and Pet Sounds shows. This was my second Beach Boys concert, but first time I ever saw Brian Wilson or Al Jardine.
The Beach Boys also accompanied a video clip of the Carl, who was heard in “God Only Knows.” The sound man must have been from the Wilson camp, as Love’s bop-a-bops in the bridge that I always thought ruined the song were mixed into non-existence. LOL.
I stayed for two encore songs, “Kokomo” and one of my personal favorites “Good Vibrations”. Then I ran for the train pretty much assured that a Paul, Ringo, Billy Joel or whoever else is in NYC was not jumping on stage for a cameo.
Sure this was a fragment of what once was, but if you love or even just like the Beach Boys, this is a last in a lifetime opportunity.
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Post by OldFred on May 9, 2012 7:41:34 GMT -5
I'll be there tonight and I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for the write up.
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Post by John S. Damm on May 9, 2012 11:37:48 GMT -5
Great review Mike! I have admittedly been very cynical about this tour as I worry that Brian Wilson is not always acting under free will coupled with my complete hatred of Mike Love who shares some of the blame for Brian's troubles through the years(of course Murry Wilson and DNA are the largest part of Brian's problems, Mike Love is the son of a Wilson girl, along with massive drug use). I saw Brian Wison live in 2005 for his solo debut tour of SMILE and his show was outstanding, one of the best concerts I ever saw, but it was more strictly regulated and controlled than a Japanese Beatles concert! Every move Brian made, every note he sang was heavily scripted and monitored. If Brian faltered even a moment, Wondermints to the rescue! ;D The Beach Boys were on Jimmy Fallon two nights ago and were horrible except on the opening "In My Room." Mike Love could not sing his lead vocal parts from "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and I must admit to chuckling happily about it. I love Brian and Al Jardine, two men who have fought with Mike Love with varying degrees of success. In fact, I thought that it was Al Jardine whose vocals were the strongest on Fallon. He saved the day IMO. Mike Love did say on Fallon that the band is a combination of The Wondermints(Brian's amazing touring band) and Bruce Johnston's Band which means Love demanded some of his flunkies in the backing band because The Wondermints would be devoted to Brian! I respect Brian and Al as I did Dennis and Carl(except when they would not defend Brian from Milke) and if I go to a BB concert it will be because a friend has invited me and I will have to refrain myself from heckling Mike Love if he starts pointing or copping an attitude. Al Jardine can sing any Mike Love part on record and I hope Love remembers that!
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Post by Steve Marinucci on May 9, 2012 11:53:43 GMT -5
I'm cynical about this tour, too. I have to say that review makes me wonder if not buying a ticket is a mistake.
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Post by mikev on May 9, 2012 13:16:15 GMT -5
Great review Mike! I have admittedly been very cynical about this tour as I worry that Brian Wilson is not always acting under free will coupled with my complete hatred of Mike Love who shares some of the blame for Brian's troubles through the years(of course Murry Wilson and DNA are the largest part of Brian's problems, Mike Love is the son of a Wilson girl, along with massive drug use). I saw Brian Wison live in 2005 for his solo debut tour of SMILE and his show was outstanding, one of the best concerts I ever saw, but it was more strictly regulated and controlled than a Japanese Beatles concert! Every move Brian made, every note he sang was heavily scripted and monitored. If Brian faltered even a moment, Wondermints to the rescue! ;D The Beach Boys were on Jimmy Fallon two nights ago and were horrible except on the opening "In My Room." Mike Love could not sing his lead vocal parts from "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and I must admit to chuckling happily about it. I love Brian and Al Jardine, two men who have fought with Mike Love with varying degrees of success. In fact, I thought that it was Al Jardine whose vocals were the strongest on Fallon. He saved the day IMO. Mike Love did say on Fallon that the band is a combination of The Wondermints(Brian's amazing touring band) and Bruce Johnston's Band which means Love demanded some of his flunkies in the backing band because The Wondermints would be devoted to Brian! I respect Brian and Al as I did Dennis and Carl(except when they would not defend Brian from Milke) and if I go to a BB concert it will be because a friend has invited me and I will have to refrain myself from heckling Mike Love if he starts pointing or copping an attitude. Al Jardine can sing any Mike Love part on record and I hope Love remembers that! NY Times said Jardine was the best vocalist. I'd agree for the actual Beach Boys except Brian's side kick Jeff Foskett was technically the best (and also probably 20 years younger). If Uncle Jessie (or Blackie for old General Hospital fans) came out at the end and put his hand over each of the five for best applause... Brian would have naturally been first, then Al, then probably Mike...let's face it...he has some fans. Then probably Johnston (Teddy Kennedy) and Marks. Foskett would have been somewhere in the middle. And Brian was more animated than I ever saw him live since 1963, though the bass was purely symbolic and by animated- I mean he moved and even smiled a bit.
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Post by OldFred on May 9, 2012 20:29:35 GMT -5
At the Beacon now. It's a great show, the Boys harmonies are fantastic. Am mindful that the Monkees played here last year and it was equally as memorable. You must catch this show, it's a don't miss experience and absolutely wonderful!
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Post by sayne on Jun 3, 2012 0:02:02 GMT -5
What an amazing concert . . . Sure this was a fragment of what once was, but if you love or even just like the Beach Boys, this is a last in a lifetime opportunity. Don't you think the bookends of your post are contradictory? That's why I decided to pass. I was lucky enough to see Brian Wilson and his touring band play Smile in its entirely and then later all of Pet Sounds. I'll see Brian Wilson anytime. But, the Beach Boys? I recall seeing them in the 70's (with Brian) and they sucked. They could hardly carry a harmony and they hardly played their own instruments. So, I was not surprised to hear that the Wondermints would be backing the Beach Boys. So, it's not really the Beach Boys you're hearing. If you look at the clips, the good clear ones like in Santa Barbara, you'll see that the Beach Boys are not the major players of the music and even the singing is heavily supported by the backing band. At least when the Stones and Paul tour what you see is what you get. It's really no different that when my friend saw the Monkees way back in the 60s and from vantage point of where he was sitting he saw the real musicians playing behind the curtain. For the Beach Boys, they removed the curtain.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jun 3, 2012 4:13:03 GMT -5
What an amazing concert . . . Sure this was a fragment of what once was, but if you love or even just like the Beach Boys, this is a last in a lifetime opportunity. Don't you think the bookends of your post are contradictory? That's why I decided to pass. I was lucky enough to see Brian Wilson and his touring band play Smile in its entirely and then later all of Pet Sounds. I'll see Brian Wilson anytime. But, the Beach Boys? I recall seeing them in the 70's (with Brian) and they sucked. They could hardly carry a harmony and they hardly played their own instruments. So, I was not surprised to hear that the Wondermints would be backing the Beach Boys. So, it's not really the Beach Boys you're hearing. If you look at the clips, the good clear ones like in Santa Barbara, you'll see that the Beach Boys are not the major players of the music and even the singing is heavily supported by the backing band. At least when the Stones and Paul tour what you see is what you get. It's really no different that when my friend saw the Monkees way back in the 60s and from vantage point of where he was sitting he saw the real musicians playing behind the curtain. For the Beach Boys, they removed the curtain. "Hey sayne, I better not catch you at a Beach Boys' concert you candy-ass! You can't handle me Mr. sayne!
The Beach Boys have continued to do, about, we did about 180 performances last year. I'd like to see the Mop-Tops match that! I'd like to see Mick Jagger get out on this stage and do I Get Around versus Jumpin' Jack Flash, any day now. And I'd like to see some people kick out the jams, and I challenge the Boss to get up on stage and jam.
I wanna see Billy Joel, see if he can still tickle ivories, lemmee see. I know Mick Jagger won't be here tonight, he's gonna have to stay in England. But I'd like to see us in the Coliseum and he at Wembley Stadium because he's always been chickenshit to get on stage with the Beach Boys."
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Post by winstonoboogie on Jun 3, 2012 10:10:58 GMT -5
Al also got a lot of heavy cheer and did sing all of his hits. Thanks for the review, mikev! I'll have to look to see if they're playing anywhere near me. But refresh my memory - which hits did Al sing lead on besides "Help Me Rhonda"?
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Post by OldFred on Jun 3, 2012 10:24:42 GMT -5
It's really no different that when my friend saw the Monkees way back in the 60s and from vantage point of where he was sitting he saw the real musicians playing behind the curtain. For the Beach Boys, they removed the curtain. Sorry, I have to address this. I've never seen the Monkees in concert during their 60's heyday, but it's well documented that when the four of them were together on stage it was them playing. Tommy Boyce's band the Candy Store Prophets did back the individual Monkees during their solo slots. There are recordings of the Monkees on stage available, including the 'Live 1967' album, the CD includes the solo segments. Music historian Andrew Sandoval, considered by fans as the Monkee equivalent to Mark Lewisohn, has written a detailed history of the Monkees which is worth picking up, and confirms that the Monkees did play as a group during this period. After Peter Tork quit the band the remaing Monkees embarked on a tour in 1969 with a R & B band called Sam & The Goodtimers supplementing them, not that far different than what the Monkees did from 1986 on or Brian Wilson's backing band. I'm wondering if sayne's friend is misremembering what he saw and is confusing the band backing the Monkees during the solo spots as playing throughout the concert, or if he saw the Monkees during the 69 tour where the band was supplemented. A further note, in the 'Circle Sky' concert segment of the movie 'Head', the Monkees are playing on a revolving stage in the round and it is them playing live in the sequence. Davy Jones with Sam & The Goodtimers performing Nilsson's song 'Together' A footnote: definitely do not miss this Beach Boys tour, it's a magical experience you'll never forget.
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Post by sayne on Jun 3, 2012 12:10:56 GMT -5
It's really no different that when my friend saw the Monkees way back in the 60s and from vantage point of where he was sitting he saw the real musicians playing behind the curtain. For the Beach Boys, they removed the curtain. Sorry, I have to address this . . . Just for the record, I'm not a Monkees hater. Saw the last tour, the first reunion one in the 80's and one in between. My bias is against any concert where the band does not make the full body of noise coming out of the speakers. I would have liked to have seen Michael Jackson and Madonna backed by just a band without all the dancers and production. Even with the Stones and Pink Floyd productions, you were still hearing them make the sounds. Amy Winehouse just sang with a band. Wish Lady Gaga would do the same.
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Post by sayne on Jun 3, 2012 12:12:18 GMT -5
"Hey sayne, I better not catch you at a Beach Boys' concert you candy-ass! You can't handle me Mr. sayne!
;D At least I don't wear baseball caps 24/7.
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Post by sayne on Jun 3, 2012 12:15:03 GMT -5
. . . but it's well documented that when the four of them were together on stage it was them playing . . . Never said the Monkees never played. Just that they are/were heavily supplemented and enhanced - sometimes surreptitiously.
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Post by OldFred on Jun 3, 2012 12:47:45 GMT -5
Sadly, we're at that point now where many of our musical heros are dying out. The Who by necessity had to supplement themselves after the death of Keith Moon and later John Entwistle. Even Pink Floyd during the original Wish You Were Here, Animals and Wall tours had extra musicians to help flesh out the sound. I'm not going to quibble if my favorite band are going to have a few extra musicians onstage with them to lend some additional musical muscle.
I loved going to see Brian Wilson's solo shows not only for Brian but also to hear his band the Wondermints back him because they are terrific. When I saw at the Grammys that the Wondermints were going to be backing the Beach Boys on this years tour that only added to my anticipation of the Beacon concert.
The Beach Boys started as a five piece band. This tour features the same number of surviving members, and it's nice to have that. For those still on the fence about going, I say go anyway.
Who knows how much longer how many of our musical heros will still be around and we'll kick ourselves later and say, "Darn, I should have gone". That's how I felt when I missed Davy Jones last New York concert and I will always regret it.
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Post by sayne on Jun 3, 2012 17:54:39 GMT -5
Sadly, we're at that point now where many of our musical heros are dying out. The Who by necessity had to supplement themselves after the death of Keith Moon and later John Entwistle. Even Pink Floyd during the original Wish You Were Here, Animals and Wall tours had extra musicians to help flesh out the sound. I'm not going to quibble if my favorite band are going to have a few extra musicians onstage with them to lend some additional musical muscle. I loved going to see Brian Wilson's solo shows not only for Brian but also to hear his band the Wondermints back him because they are terrific. When I saw at the Grammys that the Wondermints were going to be backing the Beach Boys on this years tour that only added to my anticipation of the Beacon concert. The Beach Boys started as a five piece band. This tour features the same number of surviving members, and it's nice to have that. For those still on the fence about going, I say go anyway. Who knows how much longer how many of our musical heros will still be around and we'll kick ourselves later and say, "Darn, I should have gone". That's how I felt when I missed Davy Jones last New York concert and I will always regret it. Yes, I suppose I DO have the luxury of having seen the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson 3-5 times and the Monkees 3 times. So, I can be more critical. Kinda like being able to gripe about Paul's set lists when I've seen him every tour since Wing Over America. People who have never seen a particular artist will undoubtedly have less concern about certain issues as I would. That's fair and I see that.
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Post by mikev on Jun 3, 2012 20:10:04 GMT -5
Sadly, we're at that point now where many of our musical heros are dying out. The Who by necessity had to supplement themselves after the death of Keith Moon and later John Entwistle. Even Pink Floyd during the original Wish You Were Here, Animals and Wall tours had extra musicians to help flesh out the sound. I'm not going to quibble if my favorite band are going to have a few extra musicians onstage with them to lend some additional musical muscle. I loved going to see Brian Wilson's solo shows not only for Brian but also to hear his band the Wondermints back him because they are terrific. When I saw at the Grammys that the Wondermints were going to be backing the Beach Boys on this years tour that only added to my anticipation of the Beacon concert. The Beach Boys started as a five piece band. This tour features the same number of surviving members, and it's nice to have that. For those still on the fence about going, I say go anyway. Who knows how much longer how many of our musical heros will still be around and we'll kick ourselves later and say, "Darn, I should have gone". That's how I felt when I missed Davy Jones last New York concert and I will always regret it. Yes, I suppose I DO have the luxury of having seen the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson 3-5 times and the Monkees 3 times. So, I can be more critical. Kinda like being able to gripe about Paul's set lists when I've seen him every tour since Wing Over America. People who have never seen a particular artist will undoubtedly have less concern about certain issues as I would. That's fair and I see that. I was on a bus all day today with limited internet access so I couldn't weigh in. I didn't read my Beach Boy review from a month ago, but all I can say is that the original 5 Beach Boys haver not played live as a quintet since 1964, so I would never have expected them to take on the lion's share of the musicianwork. Hell their guitarist and drummer haven't been there for some time anyway. I enjoyed the limited musicianship and their vocals as I did with the Monkees the summer before, several line ups of the Who AND Pink Floyd in 1987 (okay Dave Gilmour isn't exactly "limited" and is my favorite all time guitarist). That is just the way it is going to be with these dinosaurs from here on so enjoy what you can while you can.
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Post by mikev on Jun 3, 2012 20:32:44 GMT -5
Al also got a lot of heavy cheer and did sing all of his hits. Thanks for the review, mikev! I'll have to look to see if they're playing anywhere near me. But refresh my memory - which hits did Al sing lead on besides "Help Me Rhonda"? He sang lead or co lead on I think about 5 or 6 songs including the rarity he wrote with Love- This is That, but I would have to look at the song list.
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Post by sayne on Jun 3, 2012 22:47:47 GMT -5
I enjoyed the limited musicianship and their vocals as I did with the Monkees the summer before, several line ups of the Who AND Pink Floyd in 1987 (okay Dave Gilmour isn't exactly "limited" and is my favorite all time guitarist). That is just the way it is going to be with these dinosaurs from here on so enjoy what you can while you can. I don't agree that using the Who and Pink Floyd as comparisons to the Monkees and the Beach Boys is quite the same. I don't think anyone had the sense that the Who and Pink Floyd needed the supporting musicians because they couldn't deliver the goods. I think most people would agree that it was more because they wanted to create the sounds on stage that were heard on record. I think most people would agree that if Daltry and Townshend or Waters and Gilmour toured just with a drummer, bassist, and keyboardist they could do it well. There's a difference between covering up for deficiencies and filling out for what is already there. Eric Clapton tours with a bunch of guys, but there is no doubt who is singing and who is playing lead.
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Post by sayne on Jun 4, 2012 0:44:25 GMT -5
. . . I'm wondering if sayne's friend . . . This friend of mine who saw the musicians behind the curtain at a Beach Boys concert actually went to see them Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl. I think some of you might find his take interesting. Here is a portion: They were good. Very enjoyable. I didn't grow up here but could almost feel what it must have been like at the time. There was no hiding who was singing what. The camera angles focused on whoever was doing the singing, the backup guys or main BBs. It was obvious Brian can't sing falsetto at this point (although he did a couple of little things) and concentrated on the lower parts. Love is limited to mid range vocals. Brian had computer help for lyrics on the keyboard he was playing and even got off a few smiles which I haven't seen before. He had good time. Each member took their strongest songs and muscled through. You could hear the imperfections, infrequently. The harmonies, from whoever sang, were right on. I believe the two guitarists from the Wondermints covered most of the high parts with ease. There was a ten piece backup band which is larger than the Wondermints from what I heard. I don't think it cheapened the experience.
I was never a huge Beach Boys except for a few tunes. In fact, I had regular arguments on who was the "better", more influential band, on global music with a college roommate. The Beatles or BBs? I came away with a better appreciation for what they've wrote, accomplished and how important they were to pop music.
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Post by mikev on Jun 4, 2012 10:42:59 GMT -5
I enjoyed the limited musicianship and their vocals as I did with the Monkees the summer before, several line ups of the Who AND Pink Floyd in 1987 (okay Dave Gilmour isn't exactly "limited" and is my favorite all time guitarist). That is just the way it is going to be with these dinosaurs from here on so enjoy what you can while you can. I don't agree that using the Who and Pink Floyd as comparisons to the Monkees and the Beach Boys is quite the same. I don't think anyone had the sense that the Who and Pink Floyd needed the supporting musicians because they couldn't deliver the goods. I think most people would agree that it was more because they wanted to create the sounds on stage that were heard on record. I think most people would agree that if Daltry and Townshend or Waters and Gilmour toured just with a drummer, bassist, and keyboardist they could do it well. There's a difference between covering up for deficiencies and filling out for what is already there. Eric Clapton tours with a bunch of guys, but there is no doubt who is singing and who is playing lead. Obviously Gilmour and Townshend had major roles in producing the main sounds of their goods with the ability to deliver the chops live, but they still needed large ensembles to pull it off. Townshend needs a whole new rhythm section and Floyd when they played live from the Wall on- with the one exception of Live 8 enllist singers, sax, backing musicians. The Who and The Floyd were better individual musicians- otherwise it is the same thing-recreating the sounds of the records.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jun 4, 2012 23:37:54 GMT -5
I sat second row right in front of Brian at the Chicago Auditorium in 2005 when he and the Wondermints did Smile and much more. It was a great concert that I can never top even by seeing this current line-up of The Beach Boys(a line-up some are saying is original but I don't get that, without Dennis and Carl Wilson it doesn't come close to being the original line-up).
And I would heckle Mike Love and end up getting in fights with Mike Love groupies.
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Post by sayne on Jun 4, 2012 23:47:08 GMT -5
Obviously Gilmour and Townshend had major roles in producing the main sounds of their goods with the ability to deliver the chops live, but they still needed large ensembles to pull it off. Townshend needs a whole new rhythm section and Floyd when they played live from the Wall on- with the one exception of Live 8 enllist singers, sax, backing musicians. The Who and The Floyd were better individual musicians- otherwise it is the same thing-recreating the sounds of the records. So, you ARE agreeing with me then that there is a difference between the Who and the Floyd having musicians to support them the way they do as opposed to the Beach Boys having musicians to make up for what they can't do well.
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Jun 5, 2012 1:35:00 GMT -5
I sat second row right in front of Brian at the Chicago Auditorium in 2005 when he and the Wondermints did Smile and much more. It was a great concert that I can never top even by seeing this current line-up of The Beach Boys(a line-up some are saying is original but I don't get that, without Dennis and Carl Wilson it doesn't come close to being the original line-up). And I would heckle Mike Love and end up getting in fights with Mike Love groupies. I sat directly in front of Brian about five rows back on the "Pet Sounds" tour. That was amazing.
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Post by OldFred on Jun 5, 2012 8:58:44 GMT -5
I sat second row right in front of Brian at the Chicago Auditorium in 2005 when he and the Wondermints did Smile and much more. It was a great concert that I can never top even by seeing this current line-up of The Beach Boys(a line-up some are saying is original but I don't get that, without Dennis and Carl Wilson it doesn't come close to being the original line-up). David Marks was an original member of the group when Al Jardine temporarily left to continue his studies. Marks was fired by Murray Wilson after Jardine returned. David Marks presence brings the group back as close as possible to an original line up. Also, Marks is an excellent guitarist and took a good number of solos during the show. And the Wondermints participation is a magical contribution to the concerts. They backed Brian during his solo shows, so their presence is an added bonus. Jeff Foskett who does the falsettos that Brian can't do anymore was part of the Beach Boys line up in the 1980's, so he's very much an essential member of the group. Carl and Dennis are well represented in the shows with moving tributes with them on video with their vocals isolated singing 'Forever' and 'God Only Knows' with the Boys adding live vocals and instrumentation, similar to what Peter Asher did at Beatlefest where he sang along with the late Gordon Waller which was a highlight of the convention, earning Peter a five minute standing ovation. The Boys tributes to Carl and Dennis have received similar reactions on this tour.
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Post by John S. Damm on Jun 5, 2012 11:24:51 GMT -5
I sat second row right in front of Brian at the Chicago Auditorium in 2005 when he and the Wondermints did Smile and much more. It was a great concert that I can never top even by seeing this current line-up of The Beach Boys(a line-up some are saying is original but I don't get that, without Dennis and Carl Wilson it doesn't come close to being the original line-up). David Marks was an original member of the group when Al Jardine temporarily left to continue his studies. Marks was fired by Murray Wilson after Jardine returned. David Marks presence brings the group back as close as possible to an original line up. Also, Marks is an excellent guitarist and took a good number of solos during the show. And the Wondermints participation is a magical contribution to the concerts. They backed Brian during his solo shows, so their presence is an added bonus. Jeff Foskett who does the falsettos that Brian can't do anymore was part of the Beach Boys line up in the 1980's, so he's very much an essential member of the group. Carl and Dennis are well represented in the shows with moving tributes with them on video with their vocals isolated singing 'Forever' and 'God Only Knows' with the Boys adding live vocals and instrumentation, similar to what Peter Asher did at Beatlefest where he sang along with the late Gordon Waller which was a highlight of the convention, earning Peter a five minute standing ovation. The Boys tributes to Carl and Dennis have received similar reactions on this tour. I like David Marks, he's hungry and excited to be doing this tour! I love Al Jardine, I think he is a class act. The Carl and Dennis tributes are nice but they are still gone. I am a Brian fan but I have expressed my concern that he is being manipulated by others(yet again). I see Brian as quite happy making music privately in his home studio but not touring and going on TV shows where he is completely out of it like on Jimmy Fallon which I watched live. Fred, The Wondermints are wonderful and amazing! I am not overstating it to say that they carried Brian when I saw them in 2005 yet they gave Brian the safe, warm, friendly security blanket he needed to be at his very best. Contrast that to Mike Love who spent a lifetime putting Brian down especially in the Pet Sound/Smile years. Yet the Wondermints are not real Beach Boys but the ultimate BB's tribute band. The current touring band is not pure Wondermints anyway because as Mike Love stated live on Fallon, the touring band is a combination of The Wondermints and Bruce Johnston's Band. I am positive Mike Love wasn't going to tour with exclusively musicians loyal to Brian! There was BB politics in even the backing band. I am glad folks here love the show but I cannot top the pure magic I saw in 2005 when Brian Wilson rolled out Smile and many other hits for Chicago. Mike Love's presence alone ensures that I would be miserable. I view him as one of the bad guys in Rock and Roll, up there with Allen Klein, Phil Spector, Sid Vicious etc. What he did to Brian for decades is unforgiveable.
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