The Smiley Smile Message Board

Going with the wife to the show tonight, lawn seats, hope the weather holds up.

Will try to take as many pics as possible.

And videos please!!

I'll be in the lawn section, so any video would like the dots mentioned in the lyrics for 'Airplane'. I'll see what I can do...

How many of you guys are going?

Lucky you.  We hope to be back in The Woodlands by November. Wonder if the boys will swing back by? Give us a good review, Billy.

Thunderstorms for tonight. sh*t. I hope the concert's not cut short, and I don't get sick.

any update  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF_mclWPuhY&feature=youtu.be (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF_mclWPuhY&feature=youtu.be)

Oh my, that was wonderful, I was in row 8!!  The set list was the same as it has been lately, California saga instead of dreaming.  Brian was a little off, he missed a cue on kiss me baby and Jeff panicked for a second, no one in the crowd really noticed.  I think Brian just phased for a second because he waved after the song, almost like an apology.  I'll upload videos sometime tomorrow, I didn't take too many and my off key singing is all over them.  I'm at a days inn right now, so I can't upload  ;D

Vocally Brian was pretty rough on this whole world, but knocked ijwmftt out.  That was probably the surreal "wow what a moment" song.  Mike was fantastic, so was everybody. Happily, the crowd was perfection! After good vibrations there was a massive like five minue standing ovation.  I got complimented by the baby boomers behind me for knowing all the songs and bringing some energy  ;D
Mike gave us kudos for being a good crowd, Bruce bowed to us too loo.  Al kept smiling huge during the ovations.

Just amazing.  But yeah, Brian was up and down, he peaked in the middle tunes, clapping, snapping, smiling, but ran out of steam at the end

Well I just got in from the Woodlands performance! And, all I can say is I am completely blown away and drenched to the bone but, I would've had it no other way! What an incredible evening! We got into the Woodlands around 4pm under a dark sky! We got to meet up with some friends and headed over to the Pavilion. Which, I must say an amazing venue! We had a nice breeze and overcast skies! I was with my wife and two kids. My kids have been geeking out to the Beach boys for the last several weeks! The show started a little after 8, great pre-show music, several Chuck Berry songs, Creedence, Four Freshmen!  The setlist followed what has been performed at the last several venues. I will try to post the setlist later I am overwhelmed right now. The POWER of the harmonies tonight is what I keep going back to. I saw Brian during his Pet Sounds tour and was blown away at the amazing recreations his band did. I know that there are parts of that same band still but, my goodness those harmonies belong to the Beach Boys. I am not a big fan of Why Do fools Fall in Love but when that song kicked off it jolted me it was scarily good!! My wife who was a vocal major and is not the Beach Boys freak I am was blown away as well! Brian was in fine voice in my opinion very animated and smiling he seemed to be playing alot of piano. The only snafu came during Kiss Me Baby the words to the first verse must have been out of order on his teleprompter but he got back on. He totally NAILED the next song, what should be the next single Isnt It Time he sounded so good I could not detect any autotune at all and if there were I would not have cared!! Brian also delievered an amazing This Whole World as well all of his leads were very strong and powerful! Now, I will get to the drenched part the Boys were about to go into the tributes and I kid you not as they started into Forever it started sprinkling as they went into God Only Knows it picked up more. Such a spirtual moment I will never forget my daughter who is 8 leaning over to me and saying " Daddy, I think Dennis and Carl are crying from Heaven because they wish they could be here and cant but, they are also happy because they aren't fighting anymore" She is a very perceptible kid but, some times she blows me away!! The rains fell and as some fair weather fans left( We were out on the Lawn) We stuck it out and danced through the remainder of the show. It will be a moment I will never forget seeing my son literally jump for joy when they played 409 and Kokomo, hearing my daughter sing the Honeys parts on Be True To Your School! Being there with my family, when I first fell for the Beach Boys was during a very dark time in my life I was in my early 20's and trying to figure out what and who I was. I never in a million years thought I would be able to see my musical heroes all on one stage again. My eyes are welling up as I sit in our hotel room listening to TWGMTR and hearing my kids talk about what harmony line to sing. Thank you Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks(killer guitar breaks!), Bruce Johnston, and the guys in the band for making this night a once in a lifetime for me and my family! I will never forget this evening EVER!! God Bless you Beach Boys and may the good Lord take care and continue to heal the years of pain.....


P.s. I am sorry for the disjointed rambling nature I wanted to get my thoughts down!

P.s.s They were selling the new cd tonight for 5 bucks! They had 5000 cds with 50 of them containing the 5 Beach Boys autograph that won you a pass to a meet and greet after the show! Mike was really funny! He said they were in a battle with Adele and that he needed us to buy the disc to "Buy American" after all! I may have to pick up another disc for the cause!! Thank you all for your passion for the Beach Boys good night!!

Hey Runaways we may be at the same Days Inn!!! haha!

$ 5 for the new CD???   What a deal!!!!!

Dumbangel...I think I was near you!
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That's me....except I had a shirt with frogs on it today.

What a show...best concert ever. I saw Brian on 23 Oct 2004, but this blew that away.  Everyone was on top form. 'Disney Girls' was incredible...better than the studio version! Brian was ON IT...there were a couple of flubs, but nothing major. He missed his cue on Kiss me Baby as he was playing the keys and not looking at the teleprompter. In fact, during much of the show, he didn't look at it at all. You know how on the Knebworth DVD, he was really getting into 'Keepin the Summer Alive'? He was doing that much of the concert, just really grooving at the piano.  'Sail on Sailor' was spot on, and he had an elongated scream at the very end. Something good has happened with him...he no longer clips notes and his phrasing is like his younger self. He has also regained much of the smoothness he used to have in his voice, and there was no slurring at all. He even hit a falsetto at the very end of one song (can't remember which right now). He was audible on just about every song;he sang on the tag of 'Disney Girls' and even did a bit of freestyling during 'California Saga'.

Dave was...freaking incredible. He did a good job on 'Hawaii' vocally, and he was very audible in the harmonic blend throughout. His guitar playing was phenomenal; he sounded like Cream-era Clapton on many cuts.

Scott Totten did a great job on 'Ballad of Ole Betsy'.

Foskett sounded great tonight. Honestly, he sounded better here than he does on Brian's tours...MUCH better. I normally don't care for 'Don't Back Down', but tonight it was great.

'It's OK' had the slowed down version, but tonight had a bit of a different arrangement than in prior shows, almost funk-lite in parts.

This is as good a time as any to mention John Cowsill on drums. He sounds like a mixture of Dennis and Ricky. The ending to 'All This is That' had an extended instrumental section behind Foskett's falsetto, and Cowsill's playing gave it this silky groove that just elevated it to another level. There were times where he just beat the living sh*t out of the drums; it's like John Bonham was behind the kit.

The crowd...was interesting. On my side of the lawn section was mainly older people; the other side were younger, and there were glowsticks aplenty. There was a lot of sitting down in my side; my wife wished we were on the other side with the glowsticks and beach balls. There was a young lesbian couple (looked like maybe 17-20 years old) in front of us though that were REALLY getting into the music, and invented a PG-13 dance for 'Marcella' that had me rolling.

There was a rather attractive twenty-something young woman to my left (on the other side of the walkway that led to the stairs) who was completely tatted out, giant dragon looking thing on her back, that REALLY got into 'Isn't it Time'. That song went over pretty well, except in the right hand side of the lawn (where I was at) who were quiet during most of the show, so little things like that really stood out.

The CDs sold out quickly...they were gone by intermission. The line was longer than long; I told the kid behind me (early teens) that it was longer than the disco version of 'Here Comes the Night'. Surprisingly, he got the joke, as he responded with a crack about monkeys. Smart kid.

Funny moment came towards the end. The older crowd started leaving when the rain started coming down harder, and when Kokomo came on, this buff  tatted out guy wearing a Godsmack shirt ran like hell down the hill singing along (with his voice bouncing up and down as he did :lol)

Billy,

I think I was near you as well!! Some excellent points you brought up! Brian was grooving along on the piano and the vocals! Sail on Sailor was powerful!! In My Room was also beautiful I could pick out the voices and Brian was hitting a smoothness in his upper register I didnt think he could do! Loved Darian's part on All This Is That! Scott Totten did an incredible performance on Ol' Betsy! And, John Cowsill is a beast on drums!! He has such a feel for the drums incredible!

I spent way too much money at the merch stand.  WORTH IT.

I will also remember this 50 something guy who was skipping in the rain during Kokomo he was so excited and singing at the top of his voice!!

Setlist:
Do It Again
Little Honda
Catch a Wave
Hawaii
Don't Back Down
Surfin' Safari
Surfer Girl
Please Let Me Wonder
Marcella
This Whole World
Disney Girls
Then I Kissed Her (The Crystals cover)
Kiss Me, Baby
Isn't It Time?
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers cover)
When I Grow Up (to Be a Man)
Cotton Fields (Lead Belly cover)
It's OK
Be True to Your School
Ballad of Ole' Betsy
Don't Worry, Baby
Little Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
I Get Around

Set 2
Add Some Music to Your Day
California Saga: California
Sloop John B
Wouldn't It Be Nice
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
Sail On Sailor
Heroes and Villains
In My Room
All This Is That
That's Why God Made the Radio
Forever
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
California Girls
All Summer Long
Help Me Rhonda
Rock and Roll Music (Chuck Berry cover)
Do You Wanna Dance? (Bobby Freeman cover)
Surfin' USA

Encore:
Kokomo
Barbara Ann (The Regents cover)
 Fun, Fun, Fun

Ahh you bastard I waited the entire intermission in that line :lol I was the dude singing 'Lines' in the Kermit the Frog voice.

I tried to do a video, but couldn't get a good shot. I know some people around me filmed, but my falsetto probably ruined a few of them.

If someone find a YT link, post the sh*t out of that f*cker.

Great setlist...so thrilled to see "This Whole World", SO hope it sticks around for my concert, I didn't know it before the tour kicked off, then I listened to it, and it just totally changed my perspective of The Beach Boys.

I was surprised they didn't play anymore new songs...I'd like to hear "Shelter" live, in addition to the other two being played. They are definitely my three favs for a live setting, in the fashion they are doing.

I was there last night. I was in the pit, right up front. Went to the soundcheck, and afterwards the WONDERFUL Probyn handed my wife and I a couple of back stage passes. I also spent WAY WAY too much on merch, but its "THE BOYS", you know?

The concert exceeded my expectations. Wonderful , moving tributes to Dennis and Carl. Glad to see the crowd's reaction to that. And also for the entire crowd (not just us with the BB sickness :) ) reactions to the rare and new tracks. Truly a magic night. I had heard earlier in the day that Brian was having an "off day" so I was ready for it. And he was. But he is such a trooper. He worked hard at fighting those demons (once saw him during a slow song he wasn't singing close his eyes and was saying something I couldn't make out.).  And to hear Bruce just kick the sh*t out of Disney Girls was so special. All in all, a great night...............................except

I have a question for those in the know about the band (as I don't follow the rest of the group much). When did Bruce Johnston, the man who gave me a 2 hour interview in 1979 to help me out at work and another hour in 1981 and was SO SO SO kind, become such a prick. He came down to the backstage area after the show. I waited a bit and went up to him with my copy of pet sounds and asked him to sign it. The folks he was talking to were extremely nice and asked me how long I had been a fan, etc. As Bruce was signing the LP, I thanked him again for the interview all those years ago and how it helped me out at the radio station I worked at. He said "that was 23 years ago, no recent stories?" Taken aback I said thanks again for everything, told him I heard that new comp box-sets were coming out in the fall and I couldn't wait. He handed me back my LP and pen, and said "well, save your pennies for the box-set, you and I are through talking." Just then the kid of the guy to whom Bruce was talking said to me "did you know that Bruce produced LPs for the Beach Boys?" I said yes I did, LA and Keeping The Summer Alive. Told the kid I though Bruce tried the right thing with HCTN. Bruce turned to me and said "HEY, I SAID U AND I ARE THROUGH TALKING! SERIOUSLY!"

Now I can understand when u hang around someone forever and wont go away that you would get mad. It has happened to me. But I am talking about standing there for MAYBE 5 mins, probably less. I mean come on DUDE, who do you think pays their hard earned dollars to keep you and the guys in the style you have grown accustomed to? ALWAYS be nice to fans. Understandably, you will have the wackos who require a swift kick, but no someone who is just standing there saying a few kind words. It ruined the rest of my experience for me. And the fondness I always had for Bruce and the way he stands up for Brian's music. End Of Rant.

PS - Scott Totten and Probyn Gregory are 2 of the most wonderful guys you could ever ever meet. Scott didn't want to sign my PS copy because it was like signing a copy of the Bible for him. I told him no, it was my way of saying thanks for the music.

If that was an off day for Brian, I can only imagine how an 'on' day would be!

I've heard that Bruce can be a bit...umm...Jeckyl & Hyde, for lack of a better way to put it.

Yeah, Bruce can be both absolutely wonderful and incredibly rude to fans.
Without wanting to excuse the rudeness, I suspect he'll be more wary of talking to fans at the moment because of the Obama incident... I doubt anyone will get much time from him for a while.

I think, in reality, more than any of the others, Bruce is just becoming a crazy, senile old man. But yeah, that would definitely color the way I look at him from now on if that happened to me.

I was a little harsh on Bruce. I love the guy, really. All the kindness over the years was great. I guess I was mad cuz it put a damper on what was a FANTASTIC evening. And Bruce was SO GOOD on Disney Girls. That is my wife's favorite (that and Sail On Sailor). So it made it special for me to have her 2 faves done live.

Bruce J. is still the man. We all have off nights. You should see some emails I have sent out when I am tired and mad.....where is that recall button????? LOL

And guys, here is a FUNNY story. As my wife and I are being escorted to the gate by security (escorted for safety, not throwing us out), a small curtosy bus drives by us with Mike, Bruce, Al and Scott Totten and a few others. As they get all the way past us, I notice that the back door (where they store bags and breifcases etc), is WIDE OPEN with a duffle/workout type bag hanging out the back. I yell at the bus STOP STOP! THe security people say whats up? I say that bus has the rear door open. They flash lights and hit sirens to tell the bus to stop. As we walk past the bus, Bruce and Mike are looking out at my wife and I. The bus driver opens the door and yells whats the problem!??" Dude, you left the back door to the bus open and sh*t is falling out onto the road. I said it loud enough for everyone to hear. The bus driver runs back yelling no no no no no..............

It was a hoot!

Damn, just reading that story made ME feel horrible. I'm really sorry that happened to you.
For someone to say "you and I are through talking" is incredibly rude - who does he think he is, Brian Wilson?
If he really didn't want to speak to you, the least he could have done would have made a polite excuse, like "hey man, thanks for taking the time, but I want to be fair to the other fans" or something.

Very sorry to hear about your experience backstage. Sometimes when someone is so blatantly rude, it kind of stuns you. I would probably have just stood there and said nothing. Of course after 5 minutes I probably woulda been fuming!

As my buddy from the original Kingsmen once said - "See that doorway over there? There's not enough room for both Bruce and Mike's head to fit through there..." (and he's a friend of theirs)

I don't care off-night or not, that was flat out rude of him to treat you like that. To do it to you a second time after someone else asked you a question, was way out of line. And he called President Obama an A**hole?

Jesus christ Bruce, what the hell happened to you ?

Write it on the BBB board, Bruce sure will read it there.

I apologize this is so long.

I had mixed feelings when this reunion tour was announced.  After establishing artistic credibility as a solo artist, and having burnished his legacy as the genius behind “Pet Sounds” and “Smile,” why would Brian Wilson want to go back to the cheesy Mike Love endless nostalgia tour (well, other than money)?  And since I rarely listen to the early BB albums, I was indifferent about David Marks’ participation.

So, to Brian or whoever pushed for including deeper cuts with the popular-with-the-masses greatest hits, and for a respectful review of the wide range of Beach Boys’ history, thank you, thank you, thank you.  And thank you to whoever invited David to join.  Last night’s show was topped only by the London Smile premiere as my favorite Beach Boys-related concert, and among the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

There was so much/too much to take in, I wish I had a DVD of it.  “Marcella” was only the 9th song, but I could have gone home after that and felt I got my $85 worth.  Last night I felt Brian’s voice had a bit of a rough edge, for lack of a better word, but it was perfect for “Marcella.”  He was into it, the band rocked the hell out of it, and David was ALL OVER IT.  And to follow with “This Whole World”…a fanboy’s dream.

Other highlights for me: “Disney Girls” yes, Bruce is just incredible on that last high bit.  “Add Some Music” around the piano was very touching, and there was a cute moment when Bruce is reaching for Al’s mic to sing the next line, but Brian sings it and Bruce has kind of a surprised look on his face.  “In My Room” was a spiritual moment, “Heroes and Villains” was great; Brian was into it, and it was wonderful to hear the Beach Boys’ vocal mix on that song again.  I liked “Isn’t It Time” better than the CD, though I still wish there were some variations in the vocal arrangement…

During “TWGMTR,” which they performed MUCH better than they have on late night TV, I was just so thankful, at this stage in their career/lives, to have this opportunity to see them play a great new song.  And to knock it out of the park.  I love, love, love Brian’s band, but...


Songs that I’ve never cared for that much (“Rock and Roll Music,” – rocked instead of roller rinked,  “Then I Kissed Her” – Al gave it his all and I noticed Brian played piano just with his left hand, the bass line), or overplayed hits I’ve grown tired of (“Do You Wanna Dance” – an energetic Brian vocal, “Help Me Rhonda” from the ageless Al Jardine), all sounded better and reinvigorated.  To me the only song that fell flat was “It’s OK,” which in the context of all these other great songs sounded like a slight, under-developed entry in the canon.

The tributes to Dennis and Carl were lump-in-the-throat time (though I have to confess I kept thinking “this version of “God Only Knows” is so goshdarn fast”).

Brian:  Vocally ragged occasionally, a couple of flubbed cues or lyrics, but overall very good, and with power.  He was very present and engaged in the music.  Not chatty by any means, but moving around here and there, singing backgrounds and very invested in his leads.  He “directed” the band during the “Please Let Me Wonder” instrumental break.  It was definitely not phoned in last night.  He didn’t seem super-excited during the bass-playing encore, but did have a nice moment of choreography with David and Jeff.  I found myself watching him most of the time, a combination of concern about “how’s Brian doing?” and also not wanting to miss whatever quirky thing he might do.

Mike:  I don’t share the narrowness of his musical/lyrical tastes, and have criticized him more than a few times for that and his predilection for cheese… but folks are right, he is a great frontman for this band.  Even enjoyed his “wheennnnn”…you know, it’s darn impressive how long he held that note, as he dropped to the stage, then his bandmates help him up, and someone plays a little “creaking back” slide on guitar strings.   And a great salesman; several times he pushed those $5 CDs (and sold them all).  I thought his voice was fairly strong during this show.   I have a newfound appreciation for his role in the touring group.

Al:  I grow to love Al more and more.  Very personable stage presence, great smiles and eye contact with the audience, and a voice that sounds like it was put in a time capsule in 1965 and unsealed for the tour.  His “in my carrrrr” vocal in TWGMTR has become one of my favorite moments in the BB catalog.

Bruce:  Always smiling, seems to be the wisecracking joker of the group, happy to be there and sharing that joy with the audience.  Great job on “Disney Girls” (but just a suggestion, Bruce, next time don’t play keyboard and just HOLD the mic instead of continuing to adjust it).   In retrospect, I would have liked to have heard another lead vocal out of him.

David:  Newfound appreciation here.  The rock spirit this band needs.  I wish he had been told to turn up his amp and cut loose with a stripped-down rhythm section on a couple of songs when recording the new album.  Great vocal on “Hawaii” too…would have liked to have heard another lead from him too.

The band:  Well, how could one ask for a better one?  They are just remarkable, and John Cowsill gave it a lot of the energy.  I can sometimes tire of Jeff’s voice, but he was right on and in the right blend in the mix last night.  When I read they were doing “Ballad of Ole Betsy,” I thought WTF?, that’s a wasted slot.  But Scott Totten did a nice job, the harmonies were beautiful, and my wife later said she really liked that one.

The crowd:  In the covered seats, the vast majority were 50s and older.  I was relieved there wasn’t a lot of distracting loud chatter or filing out to get beer during the deeper cuts, and those always earned appreciative applause, (if far from the roaring reception of “Little Deuce Coupe” or “Kokomo”).  They knew who Brian was and gave him several ovations.  They stayed seated except during the most popular numbers, which was fine with me, since they were attentive.  A beach ball bounced around for 1 or 2 songs but fortunately it disappeared because it was distracting as hell.  The folks in the lawn section must have gotten drenched but it looked like few left.

Chatted a bit with Nelson Bragg before the concert, bought his new CD.  Very nice guy.

Overall, I couldn’t have hoped for a much better mix of songs (considering the various factions involved), or a much better concert.  If that’s the last time, you went out on a high.  Endless harmony, indeed.  Thanks, guys.  

Les P is correct. I too was stunned and had mixed feelings about a BB reunion. The first relief for me....when they announced the backing band. Brian's group along with Scott and Mr. Cowsell (LOL) I knew we were in good hands. These guys were fighting to get the deep cuts on the tour. Al got shot down by Mike and Bruce because he wanted to start the second half of the show (when they are around Brian's piano) with Our Prayer. And how cool would it have been to see Mike sing his lines from the cantina version of H&V. At least they left the SMILE ending on the track (Bridge to Indians).

Wanted to show some pics I took last night:

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Great reviews Pet and Les P! Thanks for the pics!!

Thanks for the pictures !


I don't know what is wrong with Bruce. His very strangely animated behaviour during concerts and these kind of stuff off stage makes me wonder if he really might have some health issues (maybe some medication ?). On the Sirius Radio show the interviewer says they have to get Bruce to settle down because h - the interviewe - heard that was the big problem. Also he asks if the radio is still important to the boys and Brian make sure Bruce answers that question and he seems kinda irritated like he didn't know what they were talking about and just says he's addicted to Sirius Radio. It all sounds strange to me when I listen to it. Maybe it's nothing but I have the feeling that something is not right with Bruce. Dunno....

Nothing that a good swift cut to the capital gains tax wouldn't fix!  >:D
Can't resist...I love Bruce Horatio Alger Johnston.

As I watched him last weekend seemingly pretend to play the keyboard intermittently through songs, I imagined it was only audible piped into his earpiece monitor mix as he overlayed hideous Yamaha DX7 tones all over the entire concert. Bell pads and E Piano 1!

Just curious, what's Brian's attitude towards Bruce? While Bruce is seemingly obligated to say nice things about him, you never see much of an acknowledgement or anything in the other direction.

I think Brian sees the Beach Boys reunion as basically his reunion with Mike. The other guys, while reasonably pleasant, are incidental. They're distractions. Brian is probably much more interested and engaged by Jeff and his band members than Bruce or Al or Dave.

It was definitely audible on 'Disney Girls' last night, as there was a part where it was just him and his keyboard, with nobody else playing or singing (until Brian joined in).

Mmm, Yeah, but you have to admit during most every other song he's not exactly audible and just going by when he decides to play a few notes here and there in between frantic mic stand adjustment, if it was audible it might sound a bit weird!

Dumbangel, thanks for your review, and this story from your daughter choked me up as much as the video tributes.  Quite an exceptional little girl you have!

Petsite, thanks for the photos!

Think of Bruce as another "rhythm guitar player" but on keyboards.  He plays but he's not prominent in the mix because you have both Scott and Darian doing all the lead work since they're the masters at doing the exact parts with laser point accuracy.  Bruce is up for his part on "Disney Girls" since it's very much HIS song.  The other parts of the show: there is no emphasis on the keyboards to be prominent in the mix.  With all that's going on on stage it's not really a priority.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TUlTVmNd3M&feature=relmfu

Don't feel so bad. I know someone who met Bruce a few years ago and he was both nice and then a complete jerk on the same day. If the Beach Boys are sensitive to dealing with fans, they should pull the old trick McCartney used to do. He would scratch his arm while talking to a fan which would signal his bodyguard that he wanted to get the hell out of there. The bodyguard would come over and say "I'm sorry, but Mr. McCartney needs to go RIGHT NOW!" leaving Paul to smile and say "Gee, I'd like to stay and chat longer but these guys run my schedule'. By using this technique the bodyguard gets all the blame, Paul still comes off as a nice guy and the fan isn't disappointed.

Of course, once his ex-bodyguard spilled the beans, I guess Paul had to come up with another signal.  ;D   

your vids are a million times better than mine, my camera sucks!

Dumbangel, thanks for your review, and this story from your daughter choked me up as much as the video tributes.  Quite an exceptional little girl you have!

Petsite, thanks for the photos!
[/quote]

Les,

Thank you for the kind words I love that girl with all my heart!

It was Karma!

I think he is giddy. Really. Bruce is having a blast. While it was fun and rewarding to tour and perform over the last 30 years, it had to get a little monotonous. Having Al, David and that band - and especially Brian - present changes everything. Just look at how excited we all are!

Great videos!!!

Are you referring to just the concerts?

Brian really gave Al some good parts on the album. I read so many articles I can't keep track of them, bit I thought I remember Brian mentioning that he specifically wanted Al to sing, first part of "From There To Back Again" and, because he was so impressed, gave him most of the song.

I do wish Bruce would've been able to contribute a song to the album, but, hey, if all he had was a re-write of "She Believes In Love Again", then he didn't deserve a shot.

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That wasn't mine...I just linked one I found on YouTube.

Meh, bullshit, i think Brian loves being involved with Al. 

The Rolling Stone piece says something about how over the years his internal censor has gone down.  Kind of like if Brian were more talkative -- that same sort of unfiltered whatever-thought-comes-into-his-head way of reacting...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

He didn't love Waves of the same. And he sure didn't object to Al being let go withdrawing from his solo tour.

I think the Bruce thing is just miscommunication, maybe he misheard something you said, or took something the wrong way. 

You: "I heard there's a nice boxset coming out this fall, can't wait"

He heard: "I heard there's a high-priced boxset coming out this fall, can't wait"


Bruce: "Well, save your pennies then, you and I are through talking!"

See how easy that is to f*** up? 

I doubt he'd give Al the lead on the best song on the album if he didn't appreciate having him around.  It seemed pretty clear last night during "add some music" that brian loves to hear al sing.  

Wouldn't Bruce be upset about someone interrupting his conversation with another person?  I know that happens to famous people all the time when someone sees them and wants an autograph or a conversation.  I did it myself one time to thank a performer after a show when I barged into a convo he was having with another fan.  I was quick about it and left him alone but I felt later like I was being rude.  In this case Bruce thought the interrupter was being rude.  He should be used to it by now but maybe the person Bruce was talking to before the interruption was someone important to him or he found his conversation interesting.  Bruce also might have been afraid that he was going to be asked to do another interview on the spot since it was mentioned he did an interview in the past.  I'm not speaking for Bruce of course.  He could just be a rude grumpy old guy.

Very good points.  I'm of two minds of this.  First off there is no excuse for rudeness.  The old caveat "treat others the way you'd want to be treated yourself" really does apply in a lot of life's situations including approaching entertainers for autographs or whatnot.  There are times when you shouldn't interrupt them, such as when they are having a meal, relaxing with friends or family or obviously in a rush to get somewhere.  Step back for a moment and take out of the equation that so and so is an actor/singer/entertainer and think to yourself, "would I appreciate being approached by a total stranger at this given moment?".  If the answer is "no" it's best to give a wide berth and wait for another opportunity to approach them.

That being said you can easily turn what I just said around on the entertainer.  There are quite frankly a number of entertainers in the industry right now that in my opinion have lost all ability to communicate with their fans.  They don't appreciate them and probably don't respect them all that much either.  They are so locked into their little "Hollywood bubble" that a lot of them really border on being antisocial.  My general feeling on this subject is that if you are an entertainer and you are making your living based on public opinion, you really should have some degree of respect for your fans.  What I mean by that is while everyone is entitled to their privacy, there is really no excuse not to show a little bit of understanding to your fans because most of the time all they really want is to say a few words to you or maybe get a handshake or autograph.  My feeling is that entertainers who can't manage that much at least 50% of the time, more times than not aren't really worthy of fans anyhow because it shows that to them fans are only people who line their pockets with cash.

The Beatles are kind of a bad example though.  Ringo Starr is really the only Beatle who was ever sociable with fans.  The other three bordered on being standoffish although Lennon did get better at communicating with fans later in life as he often signed and took photographs with fans outside the Dakota building during the final years of his life.  With The Beatles it's somewhat understandable that they weren't very social with their fans just due to the fact that the demands on their time were probably unlike that of any entertainer in the history of the industry.  They were obviously the definition of a larger than life act and probably didn't have much time to interact with fans.  But then again they did have that infamous code word ("cripples") that was apparently used liberally in the sixties whenever they either wanted someone removed from their midst or they themselves wanted to get out of a certain situation.

That being said to this day, Beatles autographs are still amongst the most sought after on the market not only due to their fame but due to the fact that they didn't sign that many.  To my knowledge neither Paul McCartney nor George Harrison were ever much of autograph signers and in his later years, Hari didn't even like being approached by fans let alone sign for them.  John Lennon as I mentioned did tend to sign a bit more later in his life but for the most part didn't sign all that much more than either Paul or George.  That only leaves Ringo who until a few years ago still allowed fans to send him in items to be signed via his fan club but he has since curtailed that as well citing demands on his time.  

Wish John was more like Bruce.   :(

Signing for fans or interacting with them didn't get Lennon killed Ron.  I watched a documentary on 12/8/80 awhile back and Yoko actually addressed a very interesting issue for this piece involving the fact that she and John weren't initially supposed to go directly home from the studio on that evening.  They originally had planned to go out to dinner together but John wanted to go home first because he wanted to see Sean off to bed.  But Yoko then added that it wouldn't have mattered whether they went out to dinner that evening or not, because the individual who murdered John would've just been lying in wait for them whenever they happened to return.

That is really the bottom line when it comes to John's murderer.  His act was one of total pre meditation.  He was determined to murder John Lennon and it wouldn't have mattered to him if he had killed Lennon on 12/7/80, 12/8/80 or 12/9/80.  The date itself, the opportunity itself was arbitrary.  He was like a hunter in the woods, stalking an animal.  When the opportunity presented itself, he followed through with his sinister plans.  So really the only way that tragedy could've been averted in this case is if Lennon somehow survived being shot which unfortunately didn't happen.

Mr.Stone, am I understanding you correctly in that you're sayin' Brian thinks along the lines of "Your song is balls, so I don't care much about you"?

Yeah, I know.  Still wish something would have happened differently though.  What a fucking waste. 

It reminds me of that great piece in the Imagination film where that guy hops the fence on John's property, and he finds out about it, has the guy come up to the door and talks to him for a while, trying to talk him down out of his obsession.  He told the guy he in fact wasn't writing songs to speak to him, all his songs were about himself and were selfish, and at best they were about Yoko.  I like how John simulateously could be an angel and an asshole. 

That footage is so freaking eerie to watch knowing what happened to him later  :(

I don't know. His attitude just suggests -- to me -- that he thinks Al is kind of irrelevant. A good singer in certain circumstances -- he's not hesitant to use the voice when needed -- but not a creative equal.

I could be totally wrong, of course. But the Rolling Stone article kind of suggests the same thing. Which is too bad, in a way, because I think Al is a nice guy, and cares about BW a great deal. But not all friendships involve equal enthusiasm on both sides.

What it comes down to is : the song sucks!  At least if Brian wrote a sucky song, he must see something good in it or he wouldn't have wrote it.  Al's song sucks.  I mean we like it because you can hear Carl.  Step back a couple feet though.  It sucks.  So hell no Brian doesn't want to put it on the album. 

Now I'll admit "Beaches in Mind" may suck more.  Maybe.  But Brian wrote that one, so of course he's going to off the bat consider his suck song better than Al's suck song. 


In conclusion: Waves of Love got dissed by Brian because it sucks. 

Is there an actual story anyone can tell about Al getting booted from the Brian solo tour?

And I love how he invited the guy in and actually feeds him and hangs out with him. Make you wonder if Chapman had paused for a moment, things might have turned out very differently :(

I was under the impression that Al left of his own volition because there were things that made him uncomfortable.

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Was the guy behind me (with the moustache) the one who was jumping around during Kokomo?

I would say that is not what I heard. Rather the opposite, in fact.

I feel bad now reading all of these remarks about Bruce and my part for causing such ill will. Yes, he was a d**k, but as i said, I think everyone deserves an off night or two. He pulled the BB/BW asses out of the fire so many times in the past and that is what really counts!!

Bob

See that is the thing with that particular individual.  He was either insane or borderline insane.  After this individual had his album signed by Lennon he claimed was taken aback by Lennon's kindness but still ended up murdering him only hours later.  He has spoken about how he had a big man/little man complex inside of him and the "big man" complex was this benevolent, good force that would've never harmed anyone while the "little man" kept instructing him over and over again to murder John Lennon.  In fact I believe one of his statements to police shortly after the murder was that "The majority of me is good, but there is another smaller part of me that is the devil.  Most of the time the bigger part of me wins out, tonight the other half did" or something to that nature.  To me this individual's statements aren't much different that David Berkowitz's insistence that he got the instructions to murder all those women from the barking dog of his next door neighbor named Sam.  It's not rational and therefore cannot be fully understood by those who employ rational thought.

Sorry, disagree here. There is no reason for anyone to be a @sshole! I don't care who it is. If you are having an off night, stay home.

This is another reason why I would never do a meet and greet. A very real chance you wish you hadn't.

Bruce, thanks for the music, the tour etc but should our paths cross, don't mistake me for someone who cares about you once you are off the clock.

Maybe he got in trouble for the things he did for you ? lol, i really can't explain why he's being such a douche, prehaps he thinks you're a stalker..
i just don't get it : what's wrong with having a such devoted fan who's still around after all these years ? i would hug you if i were Bruce.

Song's ok with me. But, alas, Carl's vocal has no use in a professional-sounding album. It mis-represents a great singer. So, you can't include it, but dumping it would be blasphemy.

Besides, Al brought it all on himself by releasing it on his own. There's no previously-released songs on TWGMTR. And if there were, many of us would not like the album as much and would be complaining at the boys' inability to create an all-new album (we all feared that when it was announced, didn't we).

It's still not clear to me whether the BBs did an attempt at it or not.

It's a really shame Waves Of Love isn't on the new album, very catchy melody and has a very 60's vibe, Carl and Al, both great singers!
plus it would have been an amazing true Beach Boys single, prehaps their best since Breakaway.

"That only leaves Ringo who until a few years ago still allowed fans to send him in items to be signed via his fan club but he has since curtailed that as well citing demands on his time. " 
  
 
Yes, but it took him 30 years to reply back to Marge Simpson

Agree, it wouldn't have been to fair to release that vocal of Carl's. But, they could've removed his part, substituted somebody else, and had Joe re-work the song to fit the new album production-wise. I still get the feeling that almost everybody wanted to leave ANY Dennis and Carl connections for the live show.

I'm on the fence if the song is worthy for the new album, but, yes, even in a re-recorded form, there would've been complaints about releasing a previously released song, even though 99.999999% of the world population had not heard it. That being said, I wouldn't have minded a contribution from Al.

I'm not getting the "Brian doesn't care about Al" vibe. Didn't Brian recently (when, a year or so ago?) spend some time at Al's ranch studio laying down vocals for Al's album. Granted, Brian might've felt obligated when asked, but if Brian doesn't want to do something....Or, maybe Melinda made him.

The reverse feeling certainly isn't there. Al is going out of his way to praise Brian at every opportunity. Of course, they all are....profusely.

Looks like him!!!

:lol

Awesome!

   He hasn't taken a bath with Deirdre lately.

Well,I love Al Jardine as much as anybody, really. Great voice, normal guy.  Has been very nice to me on numerous occasions.  But does ANYBODY think he is the creative euivalent to Brian Wilson (honestly,even Al)?

It's not you, it's him. Many people, including me, have had similar experiences with Bruce over the years. Nowhe wasn'tthis direct with me, but the point is the guy is near a dual personality, just as you describe. He can be the most engaging, talkative guy you can one one occasion.  The next,you approach him because of that experience, expecting to get the same, and he is an absolute jerk for no reason.  I have had multiple positive and negative experiences with Bruce. The fact that he was speaking to other peoplewhenyou approached had ZERO to do with the incident. DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF. THis pattern of behavior has been confirmed by many, many people over the years.  Also, this behavior does not affect the reamining Beach Boys.

I've seen both sides of Bruce as well...very unpredictable.  Well said, don't take it personal...

i saw this video on youtube, a big brian wilson fan hearing brian sing for the first time.  this was pretty much my exact face when it happened
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgGrW-PWeZs

Truly awesome...... :) :)

I remember those guys!!! I can see myself in the distance as well (I think my shirt kinda stuck out lol)

Looks like Nicky Wonder had a night of, couldn't see him on the left hand side of the stage.

He was there. At least, I thought I remembered them calling his name during encore when they listed the band members.

This is what it's all about!

That video is fantastic

Great video! My kids had the same look on their faces!!

 :lol  :lol  :lol
 :lol  :lol  :lol
 :lol  :lol  :lol


Bruce is an egotistical schlockmeister millionaire who thinks Kenny Chesney and Mike Love are the f*cking sh!t.

I love his voice, but he strikes me as batsh!t crazy to be honest. At the very least he lives in his own little fantasy world.

He rudely and abruptly walked out on a friend of mine during an interview, when my friend said how much he liked 'Love You'

That guy was so awesome.  ;D Even just seeing this on the computer has me grinning. I'd probably react the same way too. But with my luck, I'd go to raise up my arms and end up accidentally punching somebody in the face.  :lol

Luckily, I got the 'good side' of Bruce when I met him. He seemed like the nicest guy ever and talked to us for a good twenty minutes.

What did your friend say about Love You? I wonder if Bruce has a problem with that album. It is very 'un-Bruce' in every way.

Holy moly, and then we're surprised he has such harsh comments on political topic?
how come he's still in the band, wow

I think henceforth, if anybody runs into any crabby backstage Bruce behavior, they need to adopt Walter tones and chide him: "You're being verrrrrrry un-Bruce...."

:lol

'Love You' is kind of the anti 'Light Album'

did Bruce contribute at all to it? me thinks not.


I think he said something along the lines of "oh you're one of those people" as he got up to leave.

Oh my god...

"WELL IT'S YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"

It's a shame to read all of this, I always thought Bruce was a pretty nice guy.

He wasn't back with the band, full-scale, until Light Album, but he did end up singing on I'll Bet He's Nice. He layered his voice on the song's tag.  :)

Jesus Christ, Bruce.

In his defence (not that there is much) he did produce the Light Album. So he might have perceived that as a personal attack.

But unless your friend led up to that remark with 'The Beach Boys are talentless wastes of my precious oxygen and I would like to give Brian Wilson cocaine again', that's a hell of an over-reaction. That's not a derogatory statement to L.A! It's TRUE!

Well, i kinda wish he didn't (came back), who does he thinks he is?

I think it's important to differentiate between the person and his talents.  Bruce Johnston at least in my opinion has always been a very talented musician.  "Disney Girls" alone more than justifies his status in the group and when I saw them a few weeks back I was still amazed at how effortlessly he could pull it off.  I think those who described Bruce as having a bit of a dual personality in this thread probably hit the nail on the head.  There is no excuse for the way he has allegedly treated some fans but I hope this doesn't balloon into some massive anti Bruce Johnston campaign because of his alleged lack of social graces. 

Truthfully the best thing to come out of this thread is the word: forewarning.  With a number of fans taking advantage of the VIP access to the group during this tour, it's good that this has all come out relatively early on so that fans at least are aware that they may have to give Bruce Johnston a wide berth or risk having their illusions of him being shattered.  If the allegations are accurate, it's not necessarily fair that we have to tiptoe on glass around the man but it's better than unsuspecting fans having an ugly encounter.  I was also glad to hear that the rest of the boys are generally cordial with fans and these alleged incidents aren't something that is germane to the entire band.

Yeah, when I went to shoot spots for them in '85 or so, I was warned that they could be "real bastards".

Luckily, that day they weren't. Al was a bit cranky, but not horribly so. And Bruce was the best of all of them that day.

I thought the best thing to come out of this thread were the reviews and the pics, and the (sadly few) YouTube links.

Yeah but a gallery of photos only go so far.  They are obviously appreciated but the fact of the matter is it's fortuitous that this all came to light as now the information is out there for people to do with what they wish.

Deleted

Les,

It looks like you did it right. Is it from your facebook? If so, add me (Billy Castillo) and I'll see what's up.

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I figured out what it was... you had put the directory URL in the IMG tags as opposed to the picture urls.

I wanna see a photo of Bruce going ape-doodoo! A la Sinatra!

Sorry, no photos of Bruce dissing fans...didn't spend the $$$ for that VIP treatment!

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Considering some of the morons in the fanbase it's a wonder Bruce isn't like this more often. But this behavior is by no means new. I had heard from an acquaintance years ago that when he got backstage one time, he said that Bruce was very standoffish, to which Carl replied "don't worry about it." Clearly, that speaks volumes.

Bruce was going to do an interview with me but decided last minute he wanted $ for it. As I don't pay for interviews, and couldn't afford it at the time anyway, I declined. He's been both cool and slightly rude to me on the BBB board, but basically Bruce is two different people. Why? I don't know and I've been trying to figure this out for a good two decades. May I say that Brian and Al are both great, no airs about them at all. The little I had contact with Mike and Carl they were very nice too.

To shoot straight Bruce isn't quite right from all I learned about him. Maybe always having money, maybe seeing that murder as a teen, maybe he's just weird. I don't know him so I can't speak on this more than any other fan. Funny enough Bruce is the one I am most careful about in the book because frankly the stories I got about him are plain strange. In short this story does not shock me and I'm not sure how they have put up with his rudeness to fans. If I was Brian, Mike, or Carl I would have MADE him adjust his attitude to fans if he wanted to keep his job. Nobody does have the right to be an ass and if Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson could be cool with that kind of thing, who does Bruce think he is? Sorry I just think it's wrong. 

However let me say this, his dual nature doesn't mean he's not musically interesting at his best. He's done some fine work especally in his first tenure with the band. I am no MOR fan but Sunflower and Surf's Up both have Bruce songs that are harmonically brilliant. I also like his sixties work with Terry Melcher. I'm not going to push for a meeting with him, and I'm not wary of him seeing this as I think he needs a wake up call, yet I would never deny his talent which he displays well on this tour.

Well, take it for what it's worth but back in the 90's I had a friend who once approached Bruce at a hotel and Bruce verbally tore his head off. Later on in the day, he bumps into Bruce again and Bruce apologized for his earlier outburst and shook his hand.

Who knows what then hell could've been going on in his personal life at that moment? Maybe a fan walking up to him was the last thing he needed right then and there?

Sounds like Bruce.

All these Bruce stories makes me really thankful that I had a pleasant interaction with him when I met him.  Phew!

To be fair he can be really nice which is way his haughtiness at other times confuses me.

One day after: Blondie and Anton Fig doing Sail On Sailor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5WDhyPX9XI&feature=player_embedded