1966-1974: what was their audience like for live shows?

[sofonanm]

I haven't heard too many BBoys live shows but at the moment I'm listening to Long Beach, CA-12-3-71 and it's pretty cool.

Carl says "This one's an oldie... from Wild Honey" and a guy in the audience shouts "ALL RIGHT!" before they play "Darlin'" which the guy seems to be loving.

What kind of audience did they receive from 66' and onwards? I really don't know sh*t about it to tell the truth. I was under the impression that they suffered from being pegged as a square surfing act throughout the years.

[the captain]

I'm nowhere near old enough to really answer. But one thing to keep in mind is, whoever pegged them as a square, surfing band probably wasn't at the shows. Presumably people there didnt consider them square, and the shows I've heard demonstrate that. Sure, there may have been some hippie irony to the "oldies," but I think the people there were into a combination of new and old.

[MBE]

Well in Europe they probably had a younger crowd as they were still a hit singles (and albums) band. Here they started playing more colleges in 1966 but on the tapes through 67 you still hear a lot of screaming girls. 68-70 I think it would be real fans mostly, people who didn't give a crap what was considered hip. By late 1970-74 probably a lot of college aged students and older. I would think the younger crowd came back around 75-76  once they were more of a retro thing. I wasn't around either so I am basing this on photos, videos and audio plus newspaper reviews.

[Ian]

It was more of an image problem...Meaning: In 1969 at a time when groups like the Rolling Stones had long since abandoned the identical suits and tie phase and grown their hair quite long...and the Beatles all had beards and were constantly photographed in outlandish outfits and groups like the Grateful Dead had made it quite acceptable to wear your everyday clothes on stage...the BBs were still coming out in identical white suits, looking well scrubbed-and beardless with the exception in 1969 of Mike-definintely looked more "clean cut" bring home  to your mom and dad-establishment-the Osmonds, non counter culture.  They also-at a time when groups like Cream came out at the Albert Hall and in San Francisco and played for two hours-with long improvisational jams- continued during that year and in to 1970 to play short 45 minute "Hits" shows.  They were really out of step with the trends in rock- though of course the music was still ace-many teens couldn't get past that "republican" image.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Plus... a lot of people swallowed Jann Wenner's dismissal of them in Rolling Stone hook, line & sinker without bothering to actually listen to the songs.

[Jon Stebbins]

It was more of an image problem...Meaning: In 1969 at a time when groups like the Rolling Stones had long since abandoned the identical suits and tie phase and grown their hair quite long...and the Beatles all had beards and were constantly photographed in outlandish outfits and groups like the Grateful Dead had made it quite acceptable to wear your everyday clothes on stage...the BBs were still coming out in identical white suits, looking well scrubbed-and beardless with the exception in 1969 of Mike-definintely looked more "clean cut" bring home  to your mom and dad-establishment-the Osmonds, non counter culture.  They also-at a time when groups like Cream came out at the Albert Hall and in San Francisco and played for two hours-with long improvisational jams- continued during that year and in to 1970 to play short 45 minute "Hits" shows.  They were really out of step with the trends in rock- though of course the music was still ace-many teens couldn't get past that "republican" image.

Dennis had a beard for part of '68 if you look at tour photos, and his hair was really long in '69 and he had a beard for part of that year too...and he played most of the shows with no shirt on. Just keepin' it real. i think the image problems were all about the deep and lasting penetration of their '63/64 image into the culture, their post '65 image did not penetrate the culture in a lasting way...therefore they were still battling the '63/64 image in '68/69...that was a hard one to turn around because they were not as big. the Beatles actually stayed just as big throughout leaving the nuances of image change to be digested in real time.

[Ann]

November 1966 was the first time I saw the Beach Boys in concert in London. I still remember the excitement in the theatre and the surge of people trying to get through the entrance doors. I was a teenage  schoolgirl at the time along with many others. We didn't think they were square at all, quite the reverse in fact. And as for their clean cut image I think that  may have worked in their favour at that time. They were different  in looks and sound and they had great songs too. They weren't on stage for long in those days and you had to sit through a number of other acts first but it was worth it. There was plenty of screaming going on  but their audiences in London  were always a mix really. The world was a bigger place back then and they did bring Californian sunshine to London its true but it was the music that made me and a lot of others stay around for the next 40 + years.

[Fun Is In]

I first saw them toward the end of that period. A friend had turned me on to Today and Pet Sounds and I was into Sunflower thru Holland. 

I was a high school student and felt on the young side in the crowd. Most seemed college age and their for the Fun, Fun, Fun party aspect of it all.  It was a large indoor venue and was full, full, full.

Not so many of us cheered the opening chords of "Carolie, No" right away.

 

[Awesoman]

Plus... a lot of people swallowed Jann Wenner's dismissal of them in Rolling Stone hook, line & sinker without bothering to actually listen to the songs.

Which makes it all the more ironic that Rolling Stone ended up tagging them as "Band of the Year"...