The Smiley Smile Message Board

... to me would be "Surfin'" with Brian on drums and Al on upright bass.

I'm nowhere near being the general public, though. ::)

I like the way Mike and Bruce open their shows with the original Surfin'-recording or Brian's opening as heard on the Roxy-CD. Something like that would be nice. Or just one shower of harmony like on "Hawthorne, CA" the acapella Been Way Too Long, and then the curtain comes up.

Like with Brian's SMiLE shows, where the lights went on after Our Prayer finished. Something like that'd be cool. Different tune, though. Maybe a capella intro to some '64/'65 single...

I would not complain about "Our Prayer" opening any Beach Boys show.

"Surfin'" would indeed be a very cool/fitting start, however.

Yeah. But with just the 5 Boys, snapping their fingers, and the backing band being totally mute.  8)

I think the best way would be if it was a total surprise. So I'm not even gonna speculate! ;D

Just for old times sake:   Dark stage.  An introduction is made; "ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, from Hawthorne California , THE BEACH BOYS!!!"  Opening song- California Girls.  A blast of lights; Intro played very slowly, twice, loud, with Mr. Cowsill pounding the merda out of the drums, channeling Dennis Wilson.   

That would do for starters.

That's exactly how I remember it, Don!  Most of the time it was "from Southern California", but "Hawthorne" would be even cooler during this tour. Hey, have a recording of Fred Vail over the PA system a la the Hawthorne CD!

Just the images of the original members slowly sauntering out on stage in the semi-darkness, picking up the guitars, and stepping up to the mics with Dennis climbing the drum riser and the lights coming on and the crowd screaming......beer in one hand and the other around a woman.......gives me chills jus' thinkin' about it! Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end.  Aaaaaaahhhhh  Beach Boys fandom, eh?

Cal. Girls is the perfect opener, true. But I guess they will choose Do It Again because it's kinda the theme of the tour. Maybe they'll play around a little as the tour continues.
How about "Wake the world" ?  :-D

The best way to open the show would be with "I Can Hear Music"... it starts with that awesome wall of vocals that they were so good at. 

The lights go down.... the crowd starts cheering,.... you hear the drumsticks counting in the tempo.... then


"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Does sound like a cool idea.

Bad part: That was the first BB record (it has been said, I don't know it for a fact) that Brian didn't sing on. So some weird vibes there.

Yeah, but a couple of the guys.... erhm.... 'quit' the band since then, so Brian could fill in for one of them. 

I was thinking of the historical context, but true enough.

Great idea, that would be really cool.

Or another song with just the Beach Boys on stage, playing the instruments without backing group. Perhaps Brian on bass? Would love to see that.

It would be interesting if they opened up with "I Want To Hold Your Hand", wouldn't it?

Also, I doubt anyone but Jeff would sing the lead on it and while I expect he'll probably get a couple of lead vocals, I seriously doubt they'd open the show with something not sung by Mike, Brian, or Al.


My personal choices would be "Our Prayer", "California Girls", or "Surfin'".

Al could sing the lead to "I Can Hear Music".  I will not stop until I succeed with my movement to get Al to sing more lead, rockin' vocals like he did live in the 70's. 

Here's my scenario: Start it with Dennis talking from the "Garage Tapes". "Hi, you're listening to the tone of Dennis Wilson's voice", etc. Then you hear the original tape of them rehearsing "Surfin". After a minute or so, the band kicks in, talking over where the original tape ends. As the band kicks in, the lights come on.

Serrano two: The stage is totally dark. Nothing can be seen or heard. As the crowd grows restless, a shadowy figure walks onstage, but only their feet can be seen. The person then starts a slow clap. At first only a few people join in, but soon the whole audience is on their feet, clapping and stomping their feet. Then the drums kick in, and the lights come on as Al Jardine starts singing Heroes and Villains. Brian, pounding away at the grand piano, briefly looks up, smiles, and happily waves to the crowd. In all of the commotion, the mysterious figure disappears, never to be seen or heard from again. A few sharp eyed fans in the front row note that it appears to be Stamos.

I wonder if they might show a video of the band's history, similar to what Brian did his first year or so of touring. That would give them a chance to acknowledge Carl & Dennis, as well as anybody or anything
else they would like. Then maybe some end music to correspond with the opening song, whatever it is. I'd much rather see something like this than an opening band. The night is about The Beach Boys! When the actual concert starts, I'd like them to reel off five or six of their hits, without any spoken words, like they used to do.

Meant For You>Friends>Wake The World.   That would certainly surprise the hell out of everyone.

I predict Do It Again --> We're Together Again --> one of the more famous hits to get the crowd roaring.