The Smiley Smile Message Board

I was wondering this morning whether Mike Love's group (aka The Beach Boys) are playing any more numbers from Smile than in the past. It's ironic that Mike fronts a band that -- at least in theory -- should be promoting an album that he famously had a lot of difficulty getting behind.

I just answered my own question, finding a set list from late November:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-beach-boys/2011/espacio-riesco-santiago-chile-bd13d4a.html

...out of 36 songs, only these were post-Pet Sounds: Good Vibrations, Darlin’, Cotton Fields, Disney Girls, Rock and Roll Music, Getcha Back, Kokomo.

If only Al were around, maybe they'd be doing "Vegetables"? Then again, maybe that's why Al's not around!

I saw them in July, they performed Heroes & Villains that night (sung by John Cowsill and, I think, Christian Love).

The list you enumerate is more lengthy...just looking at a couple of former setlists, I can see Summer in Paradise, Still Cruisin',  Forever, and in the Christmas season, of course, Little St. Nick, Frosty, I'll Be Home for Christmas (on the Christmas LP - pre Smile) but Al's band, whom I saw in September has done California Saga, I Can Hear Music, Don't Fight the Sea, which was a joint BB effort on Al's Postcard CD,  Sail on Sailor,  (which I think the BB band does at special shows and often in Europe, with a  little different set-list) California Dreamin' (a cover) but the set list is long and tailored, I think to the time constraints and the venue setup.  It is my observation as a fan, that they do about 36-40 songs, and are onstage about an hour and a half at least. Many venues are community supported and push the bar/snack offerings, to keep their theatres going.  It is a far cry from the 1960's when they sang about a dozen songs and had written the set-list on their palms.  

Some are BB standards and some are post-Smile, which I think was fairly prolific, given all the social and market circumstances.  Frankly, there might not be a "Vegetables" audience.  Even Brian's band does the standard fare if he is doing a "themed" show, as The Lucky Old Sun, Pet Sounds, SMiLE.  People want to hear what they know the words to.  It doesn't seem to bother Brian or Al when they set the house afire with Help Me, Rhonda or I Get Around!  It is sort of a niche market who are older, that Brian's band has catered to, IMHO.  

The BB band seems to have a more stratified multi-generational family appeal, from grandparents to grandchildren. The other two bands' audiences tend to be older.  

When possible, I see whomever is singing the music.  It's all good.  ;)

    

It is indeed all good! I was mainly just wondering whether the group is promoting their "current release" these days. It doesn't seem like it is.

Well, they hardly promoted new stuff since the mid 60ies at all.

7 from 36 is almost 20%. If you exclude the Gershwin tracks from Brian's recent shows, the post-Pet Sounds count is something like 6 from 34, or slightly less than M&B.

I saw them in October in Atlantic City — of the above, they did not do: Darlin’, Cotton Fields, Disney Girls, Rock and Roll Music — no H&V either — the only SMILE tune was GV.

well, of course, it was Atlantic City.

They did a nice promo for the '93 boxset.