Mike and Bruce Tour 2015

[SMiLE Brian]

It's all about Mike singing the hits...

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

You men myKe luHv is the uh,   "star"  of this act?? Oh my!

[Emily]

So Cowsill *did* have a vocal mic, and my speculation about the reasons for the lead vocal change was wrong. Interesting...

Not necessarily wrong. It's not hard to sing on key when drumming but it is hard to hold an even note for more than one beat. So perhaps it made sense for him to contribute to ooh and aahs but not to do a lead.

Cowsill's been singing Rhonda (and Cottonfields, Sail On Sailor,  Darlin', Wild Honey, Heroes & Villains and others) from behind the drums for about eight years, since he switched from keyboards. He does a fantastic job on both the drums and the vocals, so I don't think that's the reason.
The three possible reasons I can think of are them giving it to Mike for this tour because Cowsill was hidden behind a load of other people and the audience couldn't see him sing, possibly Cowsill having throat issues, or (by far the most likely) just wanting to swap things around a bit and Mike wanting to have a go at the song.

Then he must be very fit. Impressive.

[AndrewHickey]

So Cowsill *did* have a vocal mic, and my speculation about the reasons for the lead vocal change was wrong. Interesting...

Not necessarily wrong. It's not hard to sing on key when drumming but it is hard to hold an even note for more than one beat. So perhaps it made sense for him to contribute to ooh and aahs but not to do a lead.

Cowsill's been singing Rhonda (and Cottonfields, Sail On Sailor,  Darlin', Wild Honey, Heroes & Villains and others) from behind the drums for about eight years, since he switched from keyboards. He does a fantastic job on both the drums and the vocals, so I don't think that's the reason.
The three possible reasons I can think of are them giving it to Mike for this tour because Cowsill was hidden behind a load of other people and the audience couldn't see him sing, possibly Cowsill having throat issues, or (by far the most likely) just wanting to swap things around a bit and Mike wanting to have a go at the song.

Then he must be very fit. Impressive.

He seems to be. He's actually the best live drummer I've ever seen, bar none -- he has the musicality of a Hal Blaine or Jim Gordon, but also the power of Dennis at his hardest-clubbing. He's a very good singer and adds a lot to the band vocally, too. He and Scott Totten were kept over from Mike's band for the reunion tour for a reason -- they were the people who turned the touring band from being one of the worst-sounding live bands out there to being one of the best.

[Emily]

So Cowsill *did* have a vocal mic, and my speculation about the reasons for the lead vocal change was wrong. Interesting...

Not necessarily wrong. It's not hard to sing on key when drumming but it is hard to hold an even note for more than one beat. So perhaps it made sense for him to contribute to ooh and aahs but not to do a lead.

Cowsill's been singing Rhonda (and Cottonfields, Sail On Sailor,  Darlin', Wild Honey, Heroes & Villains and others) from behind the drums for about eight years, since he switched from keyboards. He does a fantastic job on both the drums and the vocals, so I don't think that's the reason.
The three possible reasons I can think of are them giving it to Mike for this tour because Cowsill was hidden behind a load of other people and the audience couldn't see him sing, possibly Cowsill having throat issues, or (by far the most likely) just wanting to swap things around a bit and Mike wanting to have a go at the song.

Then he must be very fit. Impressive.

He seems to be. He's actually the best live drummer I've ever seen, bar none -- he has the musicality of a Hal Blaine or Jim Gordon, but also the power of Dennis at his hardest-clubbing. He's a very good singer and adds a lot to the band vocally, too. He and Scott Totten were kept over from Mike's band for the reunion tour for a reason -- they were the people who turned the touring band from being one of the worst-sounding live bands out there to being one of the best.

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

So Cowsill *did* have a vocal mic, and my speculation about the reasons for the lead vocal change was wrong. Interesting...

Not necessarily wrong. It's not hard to sing on key when drumming but it is hard to hold an even note for more than one beat. So perhaps it made sense for him to contribute to ooh and aahs but not to do a lead.

Cowsill's been singing Rhonda (and Cottonfields, Sail On Sailor,  Darlin', Wild Honey, Heroes & Villains and others) from behind the drums for about eight years, since he switched from keyboards. He does a fantastic job on both the drums and the vocals, so I don't think that's the reason.
The three possible reasons I can think of are them giving it to Mike for this tour because Cowsill was hidden behind a load of other people and the audience couldn't see him sing, possibly Cowsill having throat issues, or (by far the most likely) just wanting to swap things around a bit and Mike wanting to have a go at the song.

Then he must be very fit. Impressive.

He seems to be. He's actually the best live drummer I've ever seen, bar none -- he has the musicality of a Hal Blaine or Jim Gordon, but also the power of Dennis at his hardest-clubbing. He's a very good singer and adds a lot to the band vocally, too. He and Scott Totten were kept over from Mike's band for the reunion tour for a reason -- they were the people who turned the touring band from being one of the worst-sounding live bands out there to being one of the best.

Agreed! When I saw M&B at Jones Beach in summer 2014, Cowsill's strong take on Rhonda was one of the highlights. He is great.

[AndrewHickey]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

[KDS]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

I'm really looking forward to their theater show in Baltimore in two months.  I'm hoping they keep some of those deep cuts, especially Til I Die and All I Wanna Do. 

[wantsomecorn]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

I'm really looking forward to their theater show in Baltimore in two months.  I'm hoping they keep some of those deep cuts, especially Til I Die and All I Wanna Do. 

Try leaving a request for those on Mike's facebook page. He's been known to read over those and add them in for shows if they have time to rehearse them.

[KDS]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

I'm really looking forward to their theater show in Baltimore in two months.  I'm hoping they keep some of those deep cuts, especially Til I Die and All I Wanna Do. 

Try leaving a request for those on Mike's facebook page. He's been known to read over those and add them in for shows if they have time to rehearse them.

Thanks for the suggestion.  I might just go that. 

I'm also hoping for Warmth of the Sun.  That, and Surf's Up, are my favorite BB songs of all time.  I got to hear Brian do Surf's Up this summer.  So, if I could hear Mike and Bruce do WOTS, I'd be quite happy. 

[AndrewHickey]

Thanks for the suggestion.  I might just go that. 

I'm also hoping for Warmth of the Sun.  That, and Surf's Up, are my favorite BB songs of all time.  I got to hear Brian do Surf's Up this summer.  So, if I could hear Mike and Bruce do WOTS, I'd be quite happy. 

I'd say Warmth Of The Sun was *extremely* likely for a theatre show. Scott does a great job on that one -- though he's even better on Let Him Run Wild, where he sounds scarily like 1965-Brian.

[KDS]

Thanks for the suggestion.  I might just go that. 

I'm also hoping for Warmth of the Sun.  That, and Surf's Up, are my favorite BB songs of all time.  I got to hear Brian do Surf's Up this summer.  So, if I could hear Mike and Bruce do WOTS, I'd be quite happy. 

I'd say Warmth Of The Sun was *extremely* likely for a theatre show. Scott does a great job on that one -- though he's even better on Let Him Run Wild, where he sounds scarily like 1965-Brian.

Yes, they did Let Him Run Wild when I saw them at Wolf Trap this summer, and I thought Scott did a great job. 

[Emily]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

Thank you for the advice. I'm quite sure to follow it and end up with a wonderful evening.
Just thought to add - according to my dad, the first concert I went to was a BB concert in Princeton when I was a baby. Supposedly a floor collapsed or something and Princeton banned live shows for a while at that venue (maybe Jadwin gym?). My dad was a notorious exaggerator, so this may be apocryphal, but maybe I was conditioned as a baby to be scared of live shows ironically due to the BBs.

[Dave in KC]

It looks like I got lucky. The band kicks off its Summer tour right here in downtown Kansas City. May 14, 2016. Great venue with a rich history and priced up another tier!

[KDS]

It looks like I got lucky. The band kicks off its Summer tour right here in downtown Kansas City. May 14, 2016. Great venue with a rich history and priced up another tier!

According to their website, it looks like the KC show is March 14. 

[filledeplage]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

Thank you for the advice. I'm quite sure to follow it and end up with a wonderful evening.
Just thought to add - according to my dad, the first concert I went to was a BB concert in Princeton when I was a baby. Supposedly a floor collapsed or something and Princeton banned live shows for a while at that venue (maybe Jadwin gym?). My dad was a notorious exaggerator, so this may be apocryphal, but maybe I was conditioned as a baby to be scared of live shows ironically due to the BBs.

Emily - maybe he was trying to keep you out of the "mosh pits" as I tried in vain to keep my kids out of.   

My last words while dropping off one of my sons and his buddy (6th grade wild men) for Smashing Pumpkins at a college venue, were "Don't even think about a mosh pit."

And, I could tell by the looks on their guilty but happy-smirk faces,  that is exactly where they ended up.   

[The Shift]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

Thank you for the advice. I'm quite sure to follow it and end up with a wonderful evening.
Just thought to add - according to my dad, the first concert I went to was a BB concert in Princeton when I was a baby. Supposedly a floor collapsed or something and Princeton banned live shows for a while at that venue (maybe Jadwin gym?). My dad was a notorious exaggerator, so this may be apocryphal, but maybe I was conditioned as a baby to be scared of live shows ironically due to the BBs.

Emily - maybe he was trying to keep you out of the "mosh pits" as I tried in vain to keep my kids out of.   

My last words while dropping off one of my sons and his buddy (6th grade wild men) for Smashing Pumpkins at a college venue, were "Don't even think about a mosh pit."

And, I could tell by the looks on their guilty but happy-smirk faces,  that is exactly where they ended up.   

Bay City Rollers, Halifax Civic Theatre, approx 1974: the band watched amazed from the stage as  the audience in the stalls started to sink before their eyes as the floor collapsed under their stomping feet. They sank slowly because the whole area was carpeted.

Before you ask I wasn't there but the lass who sat next to me at school then was (and by chance the lass who sits next to me at work was also!).

[filledeplage]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

Thank you for the advice. I'm quite sure to follow it and end up with a wonderful evening.
Just thought to add - according to my dad, the first concert I went to was a BB concert in Princeton when I was a baby. Supposedly a floor collapsed or something and Princeton banned live shows for a while at that venue (maybe Jadwin gym?). My dad was a notorious exaggerator, so this may be apocryphal, but maybe I was conditioned as a baby to be scared of live shows ironically due to the BBs.

Emily - maybe he was trying to keep you out of the "mosh pits" as I tried in vain to keep my kids out of.   

My last words while dropping off one of my sons and his buddy (6th grade wild men) for Smashing Pumpkins at a college venue, were "Don't even think about a mosh pit."

And, I could tell by the looks on their guilty but happy-smirk faces,  that is exactly where they ended up.   

Bay City Rollers, Halifax Civic Theatre, approx 1974: the band watched amazed from the stage as  the audience in the stalls started to sink before their eyes as the floor collapsed under their stomping feet. They sank slowly because the whole area was carpeted.

Before you ask I wasn't there but the lass who sat next to me at school then was (and by chance the lass who sits next to me at work was also!).

You are correct about those venue calamities, especially some in the stadia where there were stands collapsing. 

But, I was suspiciously thinking about the kind of mischief the kids could get into.  Those two are all grown up but when they were young, "we didn't trust them as far as we could throw them."   

[Emily]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

Thank you for the advice. I'm quite sure to follow it and end up with a wonderful evening.
Just thought to add - according to my dad, the first concert I went to was a BB concert in Princeton when I was a baby. Supposedly a floor collapsed or something and Princeton banned live shows for a while at that venue (maybe Jadwin gym?). My dad was a notorious exaggerator, so this may be apocryphal, but maybe I was conditioned as a baby to be scared of live shows ironically due to the BBs.

Emily - maybe he was trying to keep you out of the "mosh pits" as I tried in vain to keep my kids out of.  

My last words while dropping off one of my sons and his buddy (6th grade wild men) for Smashing Pumpkins at a college venue, were "Don't even think about a mosh pit."

And, I could tell by the looks on their guilty but happy-smirk faces,  that is exactly where they ended up.  

May well have been his under-handed motive!
And, John Manning, I hope no one was hurt, but it's kind of a funny image in my head.

[filledeplage]

I haven't been to a live show of any sort in years, mainly because I'm extremely uncomfortable in crowded spaces, but I'm planning on trying BW in Austin this spring because it's outside and there should be space to stand apart. M&B is sounding better each time I read a comment like this.
Maybe I should look for a good venue and check them out.

You should -- although "good venue" is key.
Brian's band are the best live band in the world bar none, and you'll love seeing them, but Mike and Bruce's band are *extremely* good too. How much you'll enjoy them, though, depends on the venue.
If you see them at a casino, or a county fair, or that kind of thing, they'll play for an hour or ninety minutes, run through twenty or thirty hits depending on how long they're allowed to play, and put on a good show, but won't blow you away (though one of the best crowd reactions I've ever seen was at a festival where they were only allowed to play for an hour before the headliners).
If you see them at an outdoor show, but one where they are the main or only attraction, that's better -- they'll do thirty-five to forty songs, and you're more likely to get stuff like Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, Ballad of Ole Betsy, Heroes & Villains, Sail On Sailor, or Disney Girls thrown in. The band tend to be far more impressive when they get to do stuff like that, as it gives them an opportunity to show off their harmonies -- because it's a smaller band than Brian's, they're not as impressive instrumentally, because they don't have a real French horn on God Only Knows or flute on Sloop John B and so on, but they're all *astonishing* vocally, and they pull off the harmonies perfectly.
But the real way to see them is in a theatre show (and that might be better for someone who doesn't like crowds, anyway, as it's not a pack of people all pushing together). I've seen them do sixty-song sets before now, and while they tend only to do that in the UK, they've gone above fifty in the US before now on theatre shows. Their indoor UK shows this year included Surf's Up, Til I Die, All I Wanna Do, You Still Believe In Me, Here Today and more. Those are truly special.

Thank you for the advice. I'm quite sure to follow it and end up with a wonderful evening.
Just thought to add - according to my dad, the first concert I went to was a BB concert in Princeton when I was a baby. Supposedly a floor collapsed or something and Princeton banned live shows for a while at that venue (maybe Jadwin gym?). My dad was a notorious exaggerator, so this may be apocryphal, but maybe I was conditioned as a baby to be scared of live shows ironically due to the BBs.

Emily - maybe he was trying to keep you out of the "mosh pits" as I tried in vain to keep my kids out of.  

My last words while dropping off one of my sons and his buddy (6th grade wild men) for Smashing Pumpkins at a college venue, were "Don't even think about a mosh pit."

And, I could tell by the looks on their guilty but happy-smirk faces,  that is exactly where they ended up.  

May well have been his under-handed motive!
And, John Manning, I hope no one was hurt, but it's kind of a funny image in my head.

Nah, Emily - both were middle-child males, hockey players, both USCG vets...and turned out just great! 

[Dave in KC]

It looks like I got lucky. The band kicks off its Summer tour right here in downtown Kansas City. May 14, 2016. Great venue with a rich history and priced up another tier!

According to their website, it looks like the KC show is March 14. 

Nope. Even the BBFC has the correct date, May 14. Still the kick-off. They play Des Moines the next night. Whatever "their" website is, it is incorrect.

[Lowbacca]

Which of the German SmileySmilers attended a December gig by the Mike&Bruce BBs? How was it? If they had played anywhere near me I might have gone.. but I think the closest was Hannover.

That reminds me, a friend sent me this:

http://surfersmag.de/news/national/die-beach-boys-am-eisbach.html#apc0KwH1dZ0PaDrl.97

It's in German though.

[SMiLE Brian]

I want a gallery of Bruce's historical dance moves from the German gigs!

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

I want a gallery of Bruce's historical dance moves from the German gigs!

   

[BB Universe]

...another boorish post...yawn