The Smiley Smile Message Board

Do the beach balls annoy you guys too? I really felt like they were a big distraction last time I saw M & B at an outdoors venue. Although, I think it's cool for an encore, I wish people could leave it at that.

Hello;
  Most people care what others think of them, so therefore it keeps them from being honest.

I do not have that issue.  So I'll tell you:

You're getting old.  Stay young. 

...

Maybe it was just me that was distracted by them. I became more focused on hitting the beach ball then watching the band. Maybe it was the booze too...I know everything's going to be okay. Just wanted to complain about something...err get a thread started.

No problems, but you have to concede: what would a Beach Boys concert be without Beach Balls? 

It's really really hard to make a good argument for being critical of something like that too, because people bring them not to irritate people but to interact with people.... so anytime you're not down with it, they've forced your hand and made you look like a grump, lol. 

I know, I know...and I actually got pissed that security were taking the balls away. Ok, this thread is over!

Most people aren't rad dudes who get lots of chicks. Fortunately, I'm not one of the aforementioned people, so I will set you straight.

I noticed the beach balls at the end of the show, during silence as the band was tuning up. I said "I came here to see the Beach Boys, not the Beach Balls!" The entire theater laughed, and Mike gave me a thumbs-up and a wink.

I got to hang out with the band backstage.

Mike was busy arguing with the a video of Dennis. Brian walked over and told me that I am better than Phil Spector, and he asked me for songwriting and producing tips. Al popped up and asked me to guest on his new remake of the Steve Miller "Help Me Rhonda." David Marks ran over and asked me to sign his guitar, and Bruce gave me my own Beach Boys Beach Ball, which I signed and gave back to him.

"I came to see the Beach Boys," I exclaimed, "Not the beach balls!" The band and the crew burst into applause. Mike broke away from the TV to walk over and give me a vigorous handshake. I noticed tears in his eyes as he commended me on my rapier wit. I could have sworn that I saw Dennis give me the thumbs up on the video monitor.

Now, I'm touring the country with The Beach Boys. I sleep in a bed with Jeff Foskett (head to toe, nothing sexual) and I get to choose the setlists. They also donate 15% of their profits to a charity of my choice (which happens to be me).

So, while you may not like or appreciate the Beach Boys beach balls, I do. Without them, I would be at home posting bullsh*t on the internet like some loser.

So, while you may not like or appreciate the Beach Boys beach balls, I do. Without them, I would be at home posting bullsh*t on the internet like some loser.
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Well, it's a good thing we're both winners then, right? Because we are Beach Boys fans!

b00ts, that post is amazing.

Well, it's a good thing we're both winners then, right? Because we are Beach Boys fans!
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Damn right!

 :lol What is truly Wilson (a synonym for genius don't you know) about this post is how frighteningly close it is to actual posts I've seen on this and other fan boards (and not just Beach Boys.) This is one time "LOL" is not an exaggeration.  :police: <-off topic, but though it plainly states that this is the "police" smiley, I always see it as Darryl Dragon.

The Beach Boys put those balls out in the audience.  Security pretends to be upset and take them away, but it's Brian Wilson's job at the end to release the "confiscated" (pre-planted by the band) beach balls back into the audience for the encore. 

Seriously, do you think audience members bring beach balls?  I don't.  It's a band gimmick.  I don't think it's a spontaneous thing the way people used to bring and fling paper plates at the Kinks.

Yup.

balls.

LoL I can't believe someone is complaining about this....

Someone needs to get laid ;)

They're great as long as they hit somebody else's head.

No complaints here about the beach balls!  They've been around at Beach Boys concerts forever and a day.  I think it's cool!

Speaking of beach balls, still got my big ol' Beach Boys Sunkist beach ball that I got back in '86.  And the shorts that go with it.  And the record that goes with it.  Anybody here have these?  I think there was a shirt too.

If it was the band doing it, why does it not happen in the UK? I've been to five BBs gigs over here and never seen a beach ball yet.

Maybe it's Stamos doing it ;)

b00ts' post was pretty funny, but when I read the Foskett line, I lost it. :lol

Nope. Got laid yesterday before this post. I must just be a miserable asshole!

If it was the band doing it, why does it not happen in the UK? I've been to five BBs gigs over here and never seen a beach ball yet.

Maybe it's Stamos doing it ;)
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That's what I was thinking!

At the Beach Boys concert I went to in 1996, someone busted out a beach ball before the show and one of the blue-haired ushers confiscated it immediately.

What's a Beach Boys concert without a beach ball? They did concerts for how many years without there being a beach ball?

All kindsa stuff was busted out at Beach Boys concerts through the years.  Couple times (such as at a Day On The Green in Oakland in the mid-70's) I saw (o)(o) bust out! And plenty of condiments were being shared too...........suspect the smell of Cannabis will permeate the air at the Berkeley venue coming up in June........

And I've seen a lot of frisbees thrown at Beach Boys concerts too.   Some landed on stage and were thrown back into the crowd.

People need to start strapping green bras around the beach balls.

At the first Beach Boys' concert I ever attended - 1978 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia - we were on the floor and a beach ball came rolling by my feet. I picked it up to bat it back up in the air, and I noticed it had obscene song titles written all over it in black magic marker. I still remember "Good Vibrators", "Little Douche Coupe", and "Fu--, Fu--, Fu--". I felt like James Watt. :-[

Maybe BB fans need to upscale. :lol At Jethro Tull concerts, the band would bring out 2-4 giant weather balloons at the end of the show, toss them out into the audience, and continue playing as long as the balloons lasted. The balloons usually broke fairly early on, but at the last Tull show I went to they outlasted the band onstage. I even spotted one gal carrying a fully-inflated balloon home.

That's almost as wildly inappropriate as the cannabis smoke I detected during the Beacon concert. Terrible terrible stuff.

Good to see you back, Mr. Stone.

I have the sunglasses.

There were a number of beach balls being swatted around the Benedum tonight (GASP!  Such a classy location too!), which seemed to start from the top of the balcony and make their way down to the stage.... surprisingly, the elderly ushers kept them going rather than taking them away.

And boy, did someone have some stinky pot up there.  Reminded me of last year's Roger Waters show.

The Beach Boys clearly want the beach balls there. Who the hell do you think you are? They've been a major recording act for 50 YEARS and you're going to second guess them? What have you done with your life? How many Top 40 singles have you released?!

I'm so sick of these wannabes who think they know better than the band. These guys are professional musicians, I think they know what they're doing.

Annnnnnd smiley  ;D

If The BB's want them there, if the fans want them there fine. I just found them to be a little distracting when I was trying to watch the band. Also, I just wanted to see people's opinion on the matter. I don't really care anymore and I'm not going to let them ruin the experience. And you're right, I'm totally a wannabe BB but I sure as hell know I don't know better than the band!

Just kidding. It's all a party, baby.

i like beach balls at music festivals so i imagine i'll like it at a beach boys concert too.  it's part of the fun

There were beach balls at Jimmy Buffett a few weeks ago. The balls just accumulated on stage as none of the band ever kicked them back to the crowd. They are annoying.

Ahhh, it must have been the peeps in the nosebleeds.  Lowlifes!!!!

Funnily enough, the Beach Boys themselves came up with one of those titles  8)

I've never had the experience of attending a concert with beach balls flying around, but it does drive me nuts at sporting events.  So much so that I take along a pen just in case one happens to land in my lap.  Granted, a Beach Boys concert is certainly a far more appropriate place for such things, but I still don't quite the point of bringing a beach ball to a concert. 

Yay for Brian! Although, I wonder if it's a put on...

There were beach balls and inflatable guitars being knocked around at Wembley '89. My pre-pubescent eyes were more taken with the cheerleaders, to be honest and was probably my first deposit in the 'chug-a-lug' bank

I hear at Wishbone Ash gigs, they throw around inflatable Smiley-Smilers ;D

I'm 19 and I hate the beach balls and I'm pretty sure the majority of those hitting the balls were quite a bit older than me.  They are distracting from the show.