Mike Love's Solo tours in 1981

[Ian]

I've found out that Mike did quite a number of solo shows (with the Endless Summer Beach Band in 1981 inbetween BB tours and I was wondering if anyone can help me plug in some missing shows.  Did anyone see any of these shows or know of any others? Also a new story about Mike's Sept 1981 wedding-says he was scheduled to appear on Love Boat with his band and that this would be filmed after the honeymoon in Mexico (did he appear? Anyone recall Mike on Love Boat?)
Dates I know of
Aug 4 and 5 1981 Hobey Baker's in Goleta, CA
Aug 8 1981-Country Club in LA
Sept 4 and 5 1981 Nepenthe Club in Fort Lauderdale
Sept 11 1981-Knott's Berry Farms
Sept 12 1981-Disney World, Orlando
Nov 4 1981-Agora, Atlanta
Nov 5 1981-Bayou, DC
Nov 6-Brandywine Club, Chadd's Ford, PA
Nov 7-Philadelphia show was canceled
Nov 8 1981-Savoy, New York City
Nov 9 1981-Toad's Place, New Haven
Nov 13 1981-Channel Club, Boston
ANY OTHERS?

[Roger Ryan]

Ian - the dates seem a little weird to me. Mike is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sept. 4th & 5th and plays a show at Disney World (Orlando, Florida) on Sept. 12th, but he is in Anaheim, California to do a show at Knott's Berry Farm just the day before? Could he have actually played Disneyland in Anaheim on the 12th or did he and the band actually fly back to Florida the day after the Knott's Berry Farm show, even though they had been there just the week before?

[Emdeeh]

I resided in Northeast Georgia in 1981 and I don't recall hearing about Mike Love playing the Agora Ballroom in Atlanta, but Carl Wilson played there in April of 1981. If Mike did play the Agora, it was likely a private show. I do have a memory of there being a non-performing ML appearance (signing) in the area that I missed to illness, it may have been around that time. There were other Agora Ballrooms in other cities, so it could be a different locale for your November date.

Mike played a public solo show in the spring (May/June -- I'll have to check the dates when I have access at home) of 1981 at Lake Lanier Islands, a golf resort near Buford, GA.

[Ian]

The dates of all the shows I listed are correct-I have ads for all those shows from the relevant newspapers-He was indeed scheduled to play the Agora in Atlanta and yes he was also scheduled to play in Florida on the 12th-so he flew there that day I guess (hardly impossible in this day and age).  Now-as to whether any of these shows were canceled I can't say-but they were scheduled.

[Emdeeh]

Ian, what publication did the ad for the Atlanta show run in? I just checked my clippings collection and there's nothing for November, 1981.

[astroray]

Ahh yes,
      I saw the Lovester and Carl at the Agora in Atlanta!
Both good shows . The thing about the Carl show ,was after the performance he started helping pack up equipment! Im sure with the BB's his roady duties were few.
Where do those days go?

[Jay]

This is slightly off topic, but I have always wondered why Mike went on tour as a solo. Was it to "promote" his album? Or was it just a clever ruse to get away from Brian and Dennis?

[Jason]

It was considered a limited solo tour to promote the album.

Jeff Foskett remembered that Michael had seen his band in a bar and offered them a gig as his backing band for this tour. Then, of course, the Beach Boys snapped him up, and Carl decided he was the only member of the 1981-82 Michael-led band worth retaining.

[TdHabib]

Important to remember than Foskett had walked up to Brian's doorstep in 1976, was allowed in, talked to Brian whom he said wasn't in good shape but was lucid, asked Brian to jam (I think Brian played bass) and then left. Jeff said he wanted to play with either The Beatles or The Beach Boys and it was too late for the former.

[Ian]

According to a BB Fun interview with Mike's then manager-the Nov 1981 solo tour was to start on Nov 2 in Gainesville and conclude on Nov 15.  Since he was in Boston on Nov 13-clearly the plan was to go from South to North mostly along the east coast.  The BB tour concluded on Nov 1, but Mike's manager said Mike loved to work and didn't need days off-he'd tour 365 days a year if he could.  It is clear that Mike has no problems with endless travel and hotels-say what you will about the man-he has always been a very hard worker.

[The Heartical Don]

Mike did a solo appearance with 'Jingle Bell Rock' on a German TV big Saturday Family Show... don't know if this is relevant. He may have done more of these.

[Christian]

Mike did a solo appearance with 'Jingle Bell Rock' on a German TV big Saturday Family Show... don't know if this is relevant. He may have done more of these.

Not that I´m aware of.

There´s a clip on YouTube of a performance on Dutch TV - maybe that´s what you had in mind.

[The Heartical Don]

Mike did a solo appearance with 'Jingle Bell Rock' on a German TV big Saturday Family Show... don't know if this is relevant. He may have done more of these.

Not that I´m aware of.

There´s a clip on YouTube of a performance on Dutch TV - maybe that´s what you had in mind.

Well, I really seem to recall a programm like 'Wetten Dass...?', or that hidden camera show, where Frank Elstner, Thomass Gottschalk, or Wolfgang (...?) announce mr. Love as the solo member of the BBs with this song. I'll try some googling...

[The Shift]

This is slightly off topic, but I have always wondered why Mike went on tour as a solo. Was it to "promote" his album? Or was it just a clever ruse to get away from Brian and Dennis?

Sparks a "what if...?" thought:

What if Mike at the time had asked Foskett's band (or others) to be his backing band, then proposed to BRI that he license the name "The Beach Boys" way back in 1981? If BRI agreed, no SIP, Still Cruisin', BBs '85... the other band members (with the exception of Al, who I'm conjecturing would have stayed with Mike at that moment) could then have pursued their solo careers.  Wouldn't our fanboy world be a different place! Or would it!

[The Heartical Don]

This is slightly off topic, but I have always wondered why Mike went on tour as a solo. Was it to "promote" his album? Or was it just a clever ruse to get away from Brian and Dennis?

Sparks a "what if...?" thought:

What if Mike at the time had asked Foskett's band (or others) to be his backing band, then proposed to BRI that he license the name "The Beach Boys" way back in 1981? If BRI agreed, no SIP, Still Cruisin', BBs '85... the other band members (with the exception of Al, who I'm conjecturing would have stayed with Mike at that moment) could then have pursued their solo careers.  Wouldn't our fanboy world be a different place! Or would it!

yeah. Touring the whole of Pet Sounds under the flag: 'It Was My Album All The Way!'.

[Jason]

Michael singing God Only Knows...yeah, I'd definitely cringe. And then he'd throw in a honking sax solo during the break.

[The Heartical Don]

Michael singing God Only Knows...yeah, I'd definitely cringe. And then he'd throw in a honking sax solo during the break.

Ooofff... nice excuse to have one extra drink tonight, to drown my sorrow...

[Jason]

Michael singing God Only Knows is almost as embarrassing as Paul McCartney in the Beatles Anthology demonstrating the mellotron and singing a painful adlib of Strawberry Fields Forever with that trademark smoothness. Total burping up of puke there.

[punkinhead]

Yeah, didn't Paul start to high?  One of his few in-perfect moments.


speaking of Mike's solo tour, what kind of setlist was he performing?

[Ian]

Look on Eric's site-I believe Jeff Foskett himself contributed the Nov 6 1981 Chadd's Ford (Brandywine Club) setlist

[Jason]

The Chadds Ford, PA show from 1981 was recorded - basic setlist, the usual meat and potatoes hits, eight selections from Looking Back With Love, a couple unreleased tunes including California Beach, and the big rarity being Sail On Sailor, which had somewhat come back to prominence in Beach Boys setlists in 1981.

[Jay]

Michael singing God Only Knows...yeah, I'd definitely cringe. And then he'd throw in a honking sax solo during the break.

Just like the original studio take, that Brian produced. Hmmm....

[Competition Clutch]

Aug 4 and 5 1981 Hobey Baker's in Goleta, CA
Aug 8 1981-Country Club in LA
Sept 4 and 5 1981 Nepenthe Club in Fort Lauderdale
Sept 11 1981-Knott's Berry Farms
Sept 12 1981-Disney World, Orlando
Nov 4 1981-Agora, Atlanta
Nov 5 1981-Bayou, DC
Nov 6-Brandywine Club, Chadd's Ford, PA
Nov 7-Philadelphia show was canceled
Nov 8 1981-Savoy, New York City
Nov 9 1981-Toad's Place, New Haven
Nov 13 1981-Channel Club, Boston
ANY OTHERS?

Toad's Place was cancelled.   I went there that night and saw a sign on wall.   Did not have a ticket ahead of time. 

[TonyW]

Michael singing God Only Knows...yeah, I'd definitely cringe. And then he'd throw in a honking sax solo during the break.

Just like the original studio take, that Brian produced. Hmmm....

... but had the common sense to can when he realised it SUCKED!

[The Heartical Don]

Michael singing God Only Knows...yeah, I'd definitely cringe. And then he'd throw in a honking sax solo during the break.

Just like the original studio take, that Brian produced. Hmmm....

... but had the common sense to can when he realised it SUCKED!

...but suppose that we only knew this version? Would we still think it is awful? I doubt that very much.