The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hell. . . . . .any chance of these getting "converted" to real BB, or are we thinking that the real BB shows will be skipping this year?
Howie, any sense of the word on a "new album"?

I would not go to a Mike Bruce show, though I did a few years ago when it was the only game in town. After 3 BB "real shows"  I would not do M and B. But BA and D?  yes.

I'd go see M&B if it was close and cheap. I'd go see Brian for more money and a further drive if there was new music. Brian, Al and Dave I'd go see if it was going to be a permanent thing, like if they formed an actual new band, maybe with Jeff.

Allow me to present the sum total of 'evidence' that there will be any full-on BB shows ever again:

1: Brian mentioned - once - that he'd wanted to do more such shows...

2: Alan has said the same, slightly more often...

3: David is reported as saying so also...

4: Mike has vaguely alluded to working with the others again, context and timeframe unspecified...

5: Many posters here and elsewhere are under the impression that if they say it's going to happen enough times, it will.

I won't believe there's going to be another tour until Al lets-slip a year in advance…

I'm thinking they'll be skipping this year and every future year. There'll certainly be no chance of 'conversion' -- the booking, management, contracts and so on were utterly different for the reunion tour.
Personally, I'll go and see any combination of the band anywhere in the UK, and at least consider a trip elsewhere in Europe to see them. Mike's band put on a fantastic show, especially their longer, theatre shows. Brian's band are responsible for some of the greatest shows I've ever seen (though they're wasted on the hits shows). I'm not going to refuse to have a good time just because it's impossible for me to have an even better one.

Andrew, if M and B were playing here in LA at a small venue and had the dough, yes, I have to agree with you: I would go too; I just wouldn't go crazy with on-line tickets and AE pre-sales and all the planning I put in for Hollywood Bowl, Irvine, Santa Barbara. Than't for keeping me honest--it would be a good time.

Oh, absolutely. I definitely wouldn't go to the frankly ridiculous lengths I went to for the reunion tour in order to see Mike & Bruce again.  But I'd go and see them.
For me, my rule of thumb at the moment is that if Brian or Mike & Bruce come over to the UK and they're just doing a hits tour, I'll go to see the nearest show to me. If Brian's doing a long, interesting set, or if Al's with him (I actually think David works better with Mike & Bruce's band than he would with Brian's, just because he adds more to the pre-1964 stuff that they play more of), or if Mike & Bruce are doing the sort of set they did in 2004 or 2008, I'll go to as many shows as I can.
I can definitely understand not wanting to travel particularly far to see them, or spend a great deal of money -- I'm quite privileged in that right now I have a well-paid job with a reasonable amount of holiday time and no dependents, so the money and time don't especially matter to me, but I've had to miss things in the past when that wasn't the case -- but these people won't be around forever, and I'd kick myself if I decided not to go to a show and it turned out to be my last opportunity.

I know that in terms of Mike, while he has not been at all specific and has certainly not committed to anything at all, he was a bit more specific in his comments at the grammy museum show, where the LA Times quoted him as saying:

"You’ve got to be careful not to get overexposed,” Love said. “There are promoters who are interested [in more shows by the reunited lineup], but they’ve said, ‘Give it a rest for a year.’ "

Obviously, that is far from anything committal in the slightest. But it does give us a possible insight into Mike's thought process, which apparently includes the possibility of giving the reunion a "rest" for a year, the implication then being that they could theoretically tour again the following year. Or maybe he was just spewing that sort of generic, non-committal stuff out to deflect additional criticism over being the buzzkill regarding the end of the reunion.

Why folks here just can't accept AGD's thesis is beyond me.

Agreed. Last year was great but as of today even the reunion line-up does not appeal so the I fit into the 'give it a year' group. This year would be too soon for me to want to go to another show and if something happened next year I would want 1/3 of the songs to be different to what they did for the C50.

If another full line-up does not happen I am 100% ok with it.

No solid evidence of another reunion, but a couple possible indicators:
I think Mike showed his hand when he made that surprise solo appearance with California Saga at The Grammy Museum last July (keep in mind -- Mike knew full well at that point that he'd soon be resuming the Mike & Bruce tour). He announced on stage "I look forward to California Saga being the opening act for The Beach Boys next summer". I seriously doubt that he meant that Al's kids and Brian's kids would be HIS opening act.

If any real bad blood exists between Mike/Brian/Al, California Saga would have surely fallen apart by now. Instead, they have announced on Facebook that they're currently recording Beach Boys material in the studio (classic material, I assume). In other words, I'm following the B-story: a subtext that informs and eventually dovetails with the A-story, which is… suspiciously quiet. No mud-slinging, no news, and far fewer tour dates scheduled than usual. I know that sounds naively optimistic, but I suspect that The Beach Boys have been secretly writing/recording new material for the last couple months and that we'll hear word of a new album in 2013.

This is all speculation, of course. I don't claim to be an insider (or speak in riddles in hopes that people will mistake me for an insider), but I'd really like to see the reunion continue -- and I want a better reunion album than the one we got.

There are no fewer dates scheduled than any other year at this time -- tour dates don't tend to get announced until three months before the show (some do, but those are the exception, not the rule), and Mike & Bruce are pretty solidly booked up in May.
And why *would* there be mud-slinging?

Why would there be mud-slinging? There WAS mud-slinging in the fall (by both factions and choice offspring). And then it stopped. That's the point. Maybe something good is happening now. Despite what you say, there ARE fewer projected 2013 dates than usual... and very few recent dates. But there's really no point in me defending a theory. Only time will reveal.

I can only speak for myself, but assuming the "thesis" is that the reunion is dead, end of story, I think that is the most likely possibility. But I think it's still worth discussing the possibilities of what could happen. While I firmly believe as well that AGD can be objective about his "thesis", I also realize that he is biased in that he has stated that he is essentially glad the reunion is dead, so that may well play into a lack of any interest in entertaining the slim possibility that the band could reunite in some form, beyond the "anything is possible" caveat that anyone would offer.

Who's being naive, Kay?

(http://mimg.ugo.com/201102/0/1/5/172510/cuts/tgf-507_480_poster.jpg)

My concern is that Capital may want the the entire group together to promote any new products which may include a Live CD or Box set. We saw how successful the QVC show was.

If the Beach Boys aren't available to promote a new LP I'm afraid Capital may have second thoughts about moving forward with any new projects.

I'd love any reasoning that gets the full reunion lineup back together, but I don't think Capitol will cancel product, especially of an archival nature, because the reunion lineup can't or won't promote it as a group in the form of touring. Capitol has been putting out projects for years now with various permutations of a splintered group existing, sometimes promoting stuff individually, sometimes together.

I suppose it's a bit more possible that the label would be less enthusiastic about another new album of new material if the group won't promote it together. But I'm guessing if the group ever gets together in the studio again, they will then already be agreeable to some sort of live group appearances as well, whether it's some TV shows or an actual tour.

If any of them in any form come and play in the UK again, I would definitely get tickets. Before last year's show I had seen Mike and Bruce once and Brian once. I have to say that MB were much more entertaining and I was very impressed with the music! Brian's sounded spot on but not Beach Boys-y enough for me and that's what I want. I'm too young to have seen them play at their creative peak so I just want a gig that does them justice. You get two very good but very different gigs with MB and Brian, it just depends whether you like both!

I think the fact that the mud-slinging stopped is important.

I think the fact that Brian and Dave and Al are touring is important.

I think the fact that Mike and Bruce are forging ahead is important.

The chances of seeing much this year seem slim. But no doors seem closed permanently. And there will be interviews and promo for the summer shows, in which all sides will be asked about their plans.

Stat tuned.

They also have a gig near me scheduled in Chautauqua in August, so I'm sure the summer and beyond will fill up quickly.

Yes, it's gonna be a cold, lonely summer. :'(

You rang?  ???