Rolling Stone - Beach Boys Play Tour - Jeff replaces Christian Love

[John Manning]

… do you think that the Jones Beach show, which is the largest show of the tour by far, was booked on the July 4th weekend for a specific reason? Call me crazy, but a NY show including "America's Band" (and two other well-known "bands" of the era) in a 15k person amphitheater overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on the Saturday of a holiday weekend might be a decent draw for a promoter. Is it possible that Mike, knowing he has to sell a lot of tickets, called up Al and David (who specifically lives in the area) and said "Hey guys, how would you like to join us for this one special show?".

Being British I'd missed the 4/7 element… it's a no-brainer for America's band to come together on that date. I'm sure old differences can be overlooked or the sake of such a holiday.  Which means that what happens after is anyone's guess… again!

[ToneBender631]

… do you think that the Jones Beach show, which is the largest show of the tour by far, was booked on the July 4th weekend for a specific reason? Call me crazy, but a NY show including "America's Band" (and two other well-known "bands" of the era) in a 15k person amphitheater overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on the Saturday of a holiday weekend might be a decent draw for a promoter. Is it possible that Mike, knowing he has to sell a lot of tickets, called up Al and David (who specifically lives in the area) and said "Hey guys, how would you like to join us for this one special show?".

Being British I'd missed the 4/7 element… it's a no-brainer for America's band to come together on that date. I'm sure old differences can be overlooked or the sake of such a holiday.  Which means that what happens after is anyone's guess… again!

Especially given that they'll be singing about cars and surfing in an amphitheater on the beach overlooking the ocean...

Would it be nice if this was a sign of more BBs dates with Al and David to come? Yes. Does the current evidence (the press release, BW+AJ working in the studio together, Matt joining BW's band, etc.) also suggest that it isn't? Yes.

[Cyncie]

Ok. So, let me get this straight. Jeff is no longer working with Brian and has rejoined the touring band but says there's "No drama". Al and Dave seem to be on good terms with both Brian and Mike and are working with both. Matt Jardine is joining Brain's band. Brian's still working on the album and a tour and says "It's all good."

I know that there are often unsaid things behind the scenes, but really, I'm not seeing a down side here. If the relationship between the "camps" is good enough that people can float between them that easily, things might actually be in pretty good shape for the guys to do something together, should the right project come along.

[HeyJude]

I was under the impression that having Al and Dave join Brian's band for the Beck tour was at least partly a publicity move to prove they were right in the C50 PR battle. Now that Al and Dave are joining Mike for at least one gig, and appeared with him at the Ella Awards as well, that value has been negated. Therefore, they will not be back with Brian again. It's better for Brian's image, as well, to be the sole star of the show, since his biopic is being released in the fall (supposedly). They can save money by not having Al, especially, on the payroll. I don't think Brian or his people have any particular attachment to Al or they wouldn't have parted ways with him the way they did in his previous brief stint with Brian's band. I would suspect Dave would be more likely to return due to his not having a steady gig and needing the money more than Al. The fact that Brian didn't invite Dave to go on the European dates seems to indicate he may not care or want Dave back. Dave no doubt works for less money than Al.

Ironically, Al and Dave would actually be a more impactful boost in sales for Brian’s tour than they would be for Mike’s, in my opinion. Mike indeed doesn’t need Al or Dave (or Bruce, or even himself actually) to sell tickets, as it’s the use of the BB name that sells the tickets. It sells to a broad range of fans, made up mostly of “casual” fans.

Brian’s tours tend to play to somewhat smaller audiences, with a larger group of “hardcore” or at least well above “casual” fans. On the one hand, they may be more loyal to buying Brian tickets. On the other hands, for fans like myself, the addition of Al and Dave was probably the only reason I bought tickets to Brian’s show last year. Their addition made a potential Brian show FAR more interesting to me at this stage, having already seen numerous Brian tours including PS and Smile both multiple times, and other interesting shows. Also, I don’t think we should underestimate how much, again in my opinion, Brian may well like having Al in particular at the show to lighten the load of carrying the show in terms of leads. With Al singing several songs, Dave doing one or two, Blondie a couple if he’s there, and the other guys in the band taking a few leads, he seems more at ease up there.

Also, while Brian’s relationship with Al (not nearly as discussed or explored as Brian or Al’s relationship with Mike) has seemed to have drastic ups and downs, and while I’m not one to read a bunch of warm-and-fuzzy stuff into something that isn’t there, I think Brian in *some* situations does find it comforting to have Al on stage with him (and Dave as well perhaps).

[HeyJude]

It would kind of look like Al's being left out in the cold...again.

Maybe there's a reason why that keeps happening.

This theory bandied about that Al is a pain in the ass to work with sometimes is interesting. While not without potentially some validity (most of these guys probably are at one stage or another), if this is really the case to a large degree, then it makes all of the other Beach Boys look like idiots, because they keep sporadically going back to working with Al, and are doing so with no one twisting their arm to do so. Did Mike find Al a pain in the ass during the 2012 tour? If so, WTF is he doing sharing the stage at all with Al again? Same thing with Brian, or his “team.” If Al was so annoying in 06/07, or 2012, or 2013, then why is Al as of a few weeks ago still working with Brian in the studio?

I’m not trying to read more into their relationships with Al than there is. Clearly, there has and maybe still is some uneasiness and/or contention. But neither “camp” needs Al at all. What’s the point of integrating him at all? I personally think his vocal chops alone would make it worth it to add him to an album or tour even if he was a total pain in the ass. But I’m guessing he’s not nearly that bad, and either or both camps wouldn’t even be returning his calls if it was even half as annoying as a few have suggested to work with Al in any capacity.

[HeyJude]

It's possible that Al and David decided to break away from Brian when he insulted them by not inviting them on the few dates he's doing this summer. I'm not sure why they were excluded unless Brian truly had no plans to use them on the fall tour, either.  If he did, it seems like an oversight that he and his people couldn't be bothered to get them visas and pay them for the summer shows. I don't think it's a coincidence the show they're doing with Mike coincides with the time Brian will be doing shows without them on the other side of the globe.

Al and Dave were never billed to us (or them I would presume) as new permanent members of his band. If they were pissed off about not doing two European gigs, I doubt Al would still be in the studio working with Brian.

[Nicko1234]

I think that even though Al has probably pissed the others off a lot over the years (as they all have), they keep getting back together sporadically because of the history and because they are business partners. Simple as that.

[HeyJude]

Where are people getting the idea Al won't be playing with Brian? They were just pictured on FB in the studio together.

Al and Dave are just playing one show with M&B. I am starting a rumor that it's a try out show because Mike is retiring in 2015 for health reasons.

Nobody has said Al or Dave or Blondie or anyone else will play another gig ever with Brian. But I agree, there’s no reason to assume it won’t happen. As I mentioned in another post, there are some very practical, financial, and logistical benefits (and yes, some drawbacks) to having any or all of Al, Dave, and Blondie on the tour. In short, there's no reason to assume Al and Dave are on board for more touring with Brian, but also no reason to so unequivocally say it won't happen, especially when Al in particualr is apparently on a number of tracks on Brian's album sessions, and is still in the studio with him.

I highly doubt Mike is retiring though, and even if he was, there’s no way the scenario would be having Al and Dave do a gig to test anything out. Al and Dave have done thousands and hundreds of BB gigs respectively. I don’t think there’s anything left to test them on. They could easily front a BB gig, but neither are a “frontman” in the Mike Love sense either. I don’t know what will happen whenever Mike voluntarily or involuntarily ceases touring, but Al and Dave doing a test gig or gigs and then taking over is not the scenario I would guess. Al is nearly as old as Mike. I think we’d more likely see the band end, or maybe see Al “sit in” for a while with some sort of “next generation” licensed version of the band with younger folk, maybe some offspring (not saying I’d want to see this, but other than BB show simply ending, that’s one potential alternate scenario).  

[HeyJude]

I think that even though Al has probably pissed the others off a lot over the years (as they all have), they keep getting back together sporadically because of the history and because they are business partners. Simple as that.

Quite possible. I don't think the business issue matters much. The late 90's/early 2000's proved that Mike (and to some degree Brian) could pretty easily marginalize Al in a business and decision-making sense, especially when it comes to the touring situation. They don't need him for much. He's still there, and still gets his cut, but not much else.

[dombanzai]

If Al, as has been suggested "a pain in the backend" to work with, could someone explain in what sense as he always comes across as a very likeable chap to me. Okay, Bruce could be seen as a 'yes' man and just happy to go along with things, while David is probably grateful to be back in the limelight again and making up for lost time (and again, comes across as a very nice chap), so Al could have a chip on his shoulder dating back to the early days when he was perhaps marginalised a little, but why is he possibly an awkward fellow to work with now?

[HeyJude]

If Al, as has been suggested "a pain in the backend" to work with, could someone explain in what sense as he always comes across as a very likeable chap to me. Okay, Bruce could be seen as a 'yes' man and just happy to go along with things, while David is probably grateful to be back in the limelight again and making up for lost time (and again, comes across as a very nice chap), so Al could have a chip on his shoulder dating back to the early days when he was perhaps marginalised a little, but why is he possibly an awkward fellow to work with now?

I've even met Al (and I don't seek out ever meeting these guys; I actually prefer not to in most cases), and he seemed totally down-to-Earth, almost naïve in his positive outlook on potential future projects and whatnot (which probably explains what Howie Edelson said about how Al really was convinced the "reunion" lineup should continue, and truly seemed to be a bit blindsided by its demise).

I also have no trouble believing at times he can be difficult to work with, as all of these guys probably are at one stage or another. We know a few of his idiosyncrasies, such as getting hung up a lot on one particular thing or another from the past. There is the infamous Gary Usher story (which, as related in the McParland book, almost rises to "Spinal Tap" status), and Mike mentioned in that cranky circa 1992 interview a similar thing about Al getting hung up on things. While Mike's comments set a complete double standard (e.g. apparently if you enlist a legal team, that's not getting hung up as much as if you're just mopey or whiney about stuff), it probably was rooted in some real things. There are some more recent "road stories" I've heard about Al and others, and while I don't know the validity of those stories, they seem plausible in some cases and nothing at all serious; just people have idiosyncrasies.

What I don't buy is that whatever Al does rises to the level of being nixed from other band members' activities, at least all the time, because they continue to seek him out at least on occasion to do stuff with him, when they don't need to.

I'm quite curious to know Mike's motives in adding Al to a single show. Just to do something different and special? Did the promoter for the Jones Beach show screw up and thought he booked the reunion lineup, so Mike grabbed a couple more BB's? Were/are ticket sales potentially slow for the Jones Beach show? Is Mike trying to look like less of a d*** to fans? Is he priming things for something bigger (e.g. more shows with Al and Dave, another full reunion, adding Al and Dave full time, etc.). Is this just a little "thank you" to Al and Dave for doing the Ella Awards (I certainly hope not; that would take some balls: "Hey Al, as a thank you, you can be in your own band again for one night") 

[Shady]

Mike and Al are just complete opposite personalities, it's amazing they ever once got along.

It's really no surprise the beach boys became mike and bruce, they are twins, dumb and dumber

[Andrew G. Doe]

Nobody has said Al or Dave or Blondie or anyone else will play another gig ever with Brian. But I agree, there’s no reason to assume it won’t happen.

Equally, there's no reason to assume it will. We'll see.

I'm quite curious to know Mike's motives in adding Al to a single show.

That we know of...

[donald]

I wonder how Scott, Cowsill, and the rest of Mike's band feel about AL.  I got some vibes at a C50 show that maybe one of Mike's guys (won't say who because it was just my impression), was a little annoyed with Al's presence on stage.

Another comment about having Al in either band;  He is the remaining original Beach Boy with a strong and versatile voice, that is unmistakingly a Beach Boy voice.  I think anyone looking for authenticity would want Al in the band.  This is what annoyed me the most about the band after Carl's passing, the fact that after losing Carl, they would ditch another original member with such a key voice.    This , to me, is where so much of the negative  ML sentiment stemmed from over the past 16 years .  

[startBBtoday]

Hopefully they play "I Know There's An Answer" with Al, because he sounds fantastic on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBudiG3C54E.

[KittyKat]

Al didn't get many leads in Brian's shows, did he? About three or four, tops. He didn't get that many in the reunion shows, either, so I don't think Mike would give him many more leads. For having the best voice in the band, he's underused. It almost doesn't matter which act he plays with, he's not being given much of the spotlight.  

I'm not sure why Brian was booked for Ireland on the Fourth of July. He's the man behind America's Band. He played one of the Capitol shows as a solo some years ago. I'm sure they could have found him a gig in the United States, somewhere, on that day. Unless those few dates overseas this summer are intended as an out of town tryout to see how it goes without Jeff.

[Foster's Freeze]

I wonder how Scott, Cowsill, and the rest of Mike's band feel about AL.  I got some vibes at a C50 show that maybe one of Mike's guys (won't say who because it was just my impression), was a little annoyed with Al's presence on stage.

If I were "that guy" I would stand there and shut up no matter how I felt about Al.  As a musician in Mike's band he is a nobody.  Not a Beach Boy, not a member of the Beach Boys band because that ended when Mike decided he was the Beach Boys so he should be happy he's employed in a cover band and grateful that Al was gracing his presence.

[KittyKat]

I wonder how Scott, Cowsill, and the rest of Mike's band feel about AL.  I got some vibes at a C50 show that maybe one of Mike's guys (won't say who because it was just my impression), was a little annoyed with Al's presence on stage.

If I were "that guy" I would stand there and shut up no matter how I felt about Al.  As a musician in Mike's band he is a nobody.  Not a Beach Boy, not a member of the Beach Boys band because that ended when Mike decided he was the Beach Boys so he should be happy he's employed in a cover band and grateful that Al was gracing his presence.

You can say the same about whichever member of Brian's band complained about the setlist during the C50 tour. He was quoted by a magazine but asked that his name not be used. He wasn't happy with the amount of car and surf songs in the set. He could have opted out of being included in the reunion tour if he really felt that way.  Same with the Mike guy acting annoyed with Al.

[HeyJude]

Well, there were only two guys (assuming we’re not talking about Bruce) from Mike’s band in the C50 band. Cowsill wasn’t able to even interact with much of anybody other than Nelson Bragg on stage during the shows, so there’s only one other guy this could refer to. I didn’t pick up any negative vibes from anything I saw. I didn’t see any warm-and-fuzzies either. But that seemed to be the case both ways. As I mentioned elsewhere, did Mike even actually vocalize on stage the names of any backing band members other than Totten and Foskett? The recordings I’ve heard, when Totten or Foskett took a lead, Mike introduced them either before or after those songs. But when Darian sang “Darlin’”, at least on all the recordings I’ve heard, someone else (Foskett?) would name Darian after the performance. Not that this means much at all. There really wasn’t much space in the show for introductions, and interactions were somewhat limited as well due to the stage set-up. But there were little things that may or may not have meant anything. Like Al for instance would call out Paul’s name during sax solos, things like that.

I was a bit surprised that Totten ended up being the musical director, or co-director anyway. Not that that was a bad thing at all. From what he has written (including a good piece he wrote in the “50 Sides of the Beach Boys” book), he seems to know his s*** when it comes to BB tracks. But to have one of Mike’s guys lead the band made up mostly of Brian’s guys, and three other Beach Boys that he had rarely, if ever (in the case of Brian) worked with, that was a bit surprising. I can only assume everyone from Brian’s and Mike’s band are professionals, and whatever happened behind the scenes, they all put on an effing amazing show (which is why I wanted to see it continue).

It’s also a bit ironic that Al now plays with some former members of Mike’s band that were with Mike when Al was more estranged from Mike, guys like Phil Bardowell and Chris Farmer.

[RubberSoul13]

I didn't get any negativity from any band members onstage during the concert. However, soundcheck was different. I saw the show in June, so they had been at it for a few months by now. Foskett was screaming at Totten during the rehearsal process for "Isn't it Time" about Brian's lyrics on his screen. At the meet and greet, everyone was very cordial.

During the concert, Mike did all the introducing for the band members. Scott, Jeff, Darian, and Paul Von Mertens were mentioned by name.

[the professor]

These chaps sound like the fellow who delivered paint to Picasso's house saying they didn't like a painting he did. Let's not waste ink on them.

I wonder how Scott, Cowsill, and the rest of Mike's band feel about AL.  I got some vibes at a C50 show that maybe one of Mike's guys (won't say who because it was just my impression), was a little annoyed with Al's presence on stage.

If I were "that guy" I would stand there and shut up no matter how I felt about Al.  As a musician in Mike's band he is a nobody.  Not a Beach Boy, not a member of the Beach Boys band because that ended when Mike decided he was the Beach Boys so he should be happy he's employed in a cover band and grateful that Al was gracing his presence.

You can say the same about whichever member of Brian's band complained about the setlist during the C50 tour. He was quoted by a magazine but asked that his name not be used. He wasn't happy with the amount of car and surf songs in the set. He could have opted out of being included in the reunion tour if he really felt that way.  Same with the Mike guy acting annoyed with Al.

[Please delete my account]

Minor point: Mike did introduce Darian by name at Wembley when the latter sang "Darlin'".

[RBennett123]

http://www.examiner.com/article/jeff-foskett-ready-to-celebrate-50-years-of-fun-fun-fun?CID=examiner_alerts_article

[c-man]

It’s also a bit ironic that Al now plays with some former members of Mike’s band that were with Mike when Al was more estranged from Mike, guys like Phil Bardowell and Chris Farmer.

Maybe you're aware of this, but Al was still in the BBs touring band when Chris and Phil joined up, so he had worked with them when Carl was still there.

[Micha]

It's possible that Al and David decided to break away from Brian when he insulted them by not inviting them on the few dates he's doing this summer. I'm not sure why they were excluded unless Brian truly had no plans to use them on the fall tour, either.  If he did, it seems like an oversight that he and his people couldn't be bothered to get them visas and pay them for the summer shows. I don't think it's a coincidence the show they're doing with Mike coincides with the time Brian will be doing shows without them on the other side of the globe.

Poor fellas! They must have felt like they had been fired...