The Final Gig: Wembley Arena - London, UK 9/28/12

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

Anyone else notice the audience didn't respond that well to Kokomo? At least where I was standing!

yeah, total mood killer where I was sat- B3, but my girlfriend was up in the balcony (free tickets related) and said that was the only one that got a lot of people going up there! I got the impression even the 'i remember the Beach Boys' crowd that went nuts to Cottonfields etc didn't really know what Kokomo was. Only thing I'd say about the setlist, is that Mike seems (justifiably) proud of the 'hit' material, but not a lot of the cars/surf stuff WAS a hit here in the UK. As he himself points out, they were at their biggest circa Pet Sounds. I'd have thought even by his standards, which seem to be 'give the public what they want' that should have meant a slightly deeper set.

I think I lucked out being sat next to a fellow obsessive, so I didn't get too many funny looks when I (we) went nuts after Disney Girls etc Suspect it might be someone off here or the blueboard or something, scottish fella with shoulder length hair.

[Andrew G. Doe]

"Old friends have gone
They’ve gone their separate ways
Our dreams hold on
For those who still have more to say..."

[Rocker]

Anyone else notice the audience didn't respond that well to Kokomo? At least where I was standing!

It wasn't a very big hit in England iirc. Maybe that's why...


Great show. Thanks for the videos! Did they do "Prayer" at this show? i couldn't find it on the videos.
 
Only thing I disagree about is putting "Summer's gone" on that place. It seems to have worked awesome as the show closer.

BTW are those new videos on the wall? I like them.
And Brian seemed really happay. His smile is not the usual "camera-dvd-recording-smile".

[Andrew G. Doe]

Did they do "Prayer" at this show? i couldn't find it on the videos.

Possibly because they didn't do it ? 

[drbeachboy]

Now is the time to walk away.

Disagree.

I agree, that is not our call to make. As long as they want to continue on, I am all for it.

[Rocker]

Did they do "Prayer" at this show? i couldn't find it on the videos.

Possibly because they didn't do it ? 

I've found out already. I thought they did the same set on both nights. Have to look for the first night then. "Our prayer" sums up the tour so well. I mean there are some rare cuts that you were suprised to hear but they don't seem as unlikely to be ok with Mike ("This whole world"  for example) but "Our prayer"...  Who would've expect that? And therefor it is like a mirror of the whole tour; they really pulled off what seemed impossible, a fantastic tour with quality and setlists you'd never dream off and they put their egos aside.

[AndrewHickey]

[I've found out already. I thought they did the same set on both nights.

That was the original plan, according to the band members, but there was a curfew at Wembley which meant they had to cut Prayer, Marcella, Let Him Run Wild, Still Cruisin' and The Little Girl I Once Knew (and maybe one other?) for timing reasons. A shame, as I'd have loved to have seen all those, but there's no possible way to complain about the show they *did* do.

[filledeplage]

"Old friends have gone
They’ve gone their separate ways
Our dreams hold on
For those who still have more to say..."

So appropriate, Andrew, for the close of this most amazing tour...

"...Our dreams hold on,
For those who still have more to say." - yes, they do...
and may draw fine compositiional inspiration from their experiences this year.  

So glad you guys had outstanding performances across the pond, yet, none was sub-par.

Renewal is good.

[Sea Devil]

I went with my girlfriend and two other friends who could all be described as casual beach boys fans and it was nice to see them all completely blown away!

[hypehat]

Al Jardine is king.


Agree with everyone saying Brian was in rare, rare form.

Definitely the best gig ever. I'm still in shock!

[buddhahat]

I was lucky enough to be in the 8th row. I've seen Brian a couple of times, but never the others, and it was such a joy to be so close!

I just grinned and grinned for the entire show and that they maintained such a consistently high level of quality throughout the vast set was nothing short of miraculous. I went with an older casual fan who is usually very picky and hyper critical and he was also blown away and felt it was one of the best shows he'd seen.

Al was definitely the hero of the night for me. When he sang Then I Kissed her, it was like hearing the original - incredible. Cottonfields was similarly fantastic for the same reason.

Other high points were Brian singing You're So Good To Me, Bruce's raspy but moving delivery of Disney Girls, All This Is That, Heroes & Villains, the Dennis and carl moments. The surprise for me was Rock n Roll Music. Never liked the song but man Mike just rocked it. I'm not a Mike fan by any means and find a lot of his stage posing a little creepy, but I couldn't take my eyes of him for this song - he nailed it.

The peak of the show was Sloop John B and Wouldn't It Be Nice. These two were performed so tightly. With the original voices ... what can I say. Nothing will top that for a live music experience.

[ontor pertawst]

Review in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/sep/30/beach-boys-review

"During Add Some Music to Your Day, when Wilson sings "You can feel it touching your heart," he looks over his right shoulder, directly at Love, who glances back with all the sentiment of a workhouse beadle who has been asked for more food. And come the end of the show, it is Wilson who seizes Love's hand for the group bow."

[Shady]

5 Stars, sounds about right

Also it's interesting to note: I was talking to a staff member during the intermission and she told me that demand for tickets was so huge they could have sold out Wembley 3-4 nights in a row

[ontor pertawst]

Some harsh comments, but I admit -- I laughed at "Mike Love, whose stage moves are so reminiscent of a man who has just sh*t his pants a little bit" -- he goes on to give dear Michael some credit, tho.

[pixletwin]

I just finished watching all 17 videos of the full final concert and I am blown away. Everyone sounded really good. Top form. Brian tackling some of the high parts was awesome. Loved it. Thank you to whoever filmed and posted the whole show.

[Rocker]

[I've found out already. I thought they did the same set on both nights.

That was the original plan, according to the band members, but there was a curfew at Wembley which meant they had to cut Prayer, Marcella, Let Him Run Wild, Still Cruisin' and The Little Girl I Once Knew (and maybe one other?) for timing reasons. A shame, as I'd have loved to have seen all those, but there's no possible way to complain about the show they *did* do.

Thanks for the info! Too bad they couldn't do all of them, but anyway it's still a fantastic setlist

[Rocker]

Mike's shirt/jacket combo reminds me a lot of what he wore at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in '88. 

How come?

[ontor pertawst]

Man, they really tear into California Dreamin'. Brian sure seems into it, much more intense than the version I saw.

That sax solo still needs to be fuckin' strangled at birth, tho.

[Justin]

Mike's shirt/jacket combo reminds me a lot of what he wore at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in '88.  

How come?

Ha don't even know now.  I thought they were the same outfit.  Guess not!  I guess Mike in a nice shirt and jacket throws me from the usual canary yellow shirts he dons.

[Justin]

Still working my way through the complete show...just finished "H&V"...man oh man....this show is perfection.  It's as if that joke that both Brian and Mike have been using in interviews about how they've been "practicing for fifty years"...is actually true.  It's almost as if they were all working to get to these last shows in the UK to be the definitive performances of their careers.  Everyone on stage is on top form and playing their ass off.  It's a breathtaking sight, really.  This Wembley performance shows a confident band who's proud for finishing an amazing tour but most of all...proud to be performing this wonderful music while sharing the stage with the exact members who were part of those original recordings.  Whatever bullsh*t we think is going on behind the scenes does not pair up with the good vibes I'm seeing on stage in these videos.  You just don't play and sing this damn well when you hate the people you're working with.  There are way too many smiles and signs of emotion to imply that there is any kind of falling out or that things are ending on a bad note.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending to a perfect tour.

[Shady]

btw, thanks for keeping track of all the shows Justin..

It's incredible we have a thread for each show with setlist/pics and vids.

Very cool

[Pretty Funky]

Another soundcheck clip

IIT,Please Let Me Wonder, Summers Gone

Very nice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v7r_Bh1nlE

[Freddie French-Pounce]

I was amazed at how big of a response Wouldn't It Be nice got - probably one of the biggest cheers of the evening, and I don't think a single person wasn't singing at the start! I knew it was received well, but not that well!

Someone to our right also screamed at the start of In my Room - very funny!

And the guy on my left saw them when they first came to England in 65/66 - now that's incedible!

[SurfRiderHawaii]

"Old friends have gone
They’ve gone their separate ways
Our dreams hold on
For those who still have more to say..."

Aloha Beach Boys. Mahalo for this one last ride!

[Rocker]

Source: http://www.music-photographer.co.uk/blog/beach-boys-live-wembley-arena/




Andy Partridge and Brian Wilson


The Beach Boys at Wembley Arena, London. September 28, 2012. Last show of the 50th Reunion tour.

Source: http://briandouglaswilson.tumblr.com/





Final bow

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobwatt/8039168423/



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