The Smiley Smile Message Board

I know I don't really come here anymore, and it's been years since I was an active member, but I had to stop by for this one because I know that the authors will see this.  My copy of this book arrived today and holy crap, is this definitive and amazing.  The photos (you always wish you had more, but you get a lot) are mostly unseen to this point, along with some great coups (several of Glen Campbell as a member, even one with Toni Tenille onstage).  It appears that up to about 1984 the details are nearly exhaustive.  No focus on setlists, the book seems far more interested in the spirit of what happened.  Looks like lots of interaction with reviews of the day, who played when, etc.  I sincerely wished for a book like this at the peak of my BB fandom around 2000, and I would have been in Nirvana in those days.  Even now when the spark has cooled, I have major respect in every way for what these guys have accomplished.  This is one of the best BB books if not the best I have ever seen, and I only have spent an hour so far with it.  Great, great job guys.

Thanks for that, Jeff...I'm looking forward to getting a copy!

Sounds great, appreciate the insight,

Thanks, Jeff...pre-ordered it awhile back and I am now looking forward to it even more than before (if that's possible!). We are living in a new "golden age" of BB reference works, and not a moment too soon!

Yeah, it really seems like that. A ton of great material has been released recently, or is on the verge of release.

Glad you liked it Jeff.  The book is pretty detailed through 1985, than delivers a more cursory look at 86-2012, plus solo careers.  As far as set lists-we do list at least two or three a year-but as shows often didn't vary considerably we didn't overdo it. Setlist info came from reviews, dvds., CDs, some paperwork given to us from insiders and of course Eric' site. 

That sounds like good sense, Ian, I'm really looking forward to this book … and good to see Eric's site getting some well-deserved plugs; it's a fantastic, under-appreciated resource.  Eric deserves high praise.

http://members.tripod.com/~fun_fun_fun/setlists.html

You should.  We need more knowledgeable people here with common sense.

Looking forward to receiving my limted edition hard cover copy any day now......

That is how it should be -- far more interested in the history and events than a repetitious list of sets.  I thought you set a perfect balance there.

Thanks Jeff, we really appreciate the feedback. One of our goals was to create a book that was information and detail heavy, but still retained a readability that made it an accessible and enjoyable experience.

OK, here's how detailed this is -- they figured out which shows yielded which tracks on which nights for the 1973 In Concert album.  I would love to know how they figured that out.

A fellow with initials ab helped on that

Thank you Adrian Baker!!


  ;D

Just got confirmation from amazon that my copy shipped. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Thanks! Wish I had more time to update! Hope to take a day off and get caught up.

Got mine today...so far loving it! Detailed thoughts coming later but one thing that real books will always have up on ebooks is that awesome new book scent. It's bliss on paper.

My copy also just arrived. I looked right away for my first show, back in 1974. Pretty small potatoes for the BB at the time (about 4000 very LOUD college students attended), but a thrill for me. I wasn't expecting to find much , but was amazed by the detail, quoting in depth from the newspaper review the next day. This is going to be great fun trying to pin down as many of the shows that I saw as possible. You've already revived one terrific memory. Thanks to both of you!

Updates welcome obviously but if the sun shines, it's hiking time!  :)

Posted this on my PrayForSurf Blog.blogspot.com blog today ~

Most promotional pieces exaggerate ... but not this one!

"The Beach Boys in Concert! is an exhilarating day-by-day journey ...

Over ten years of exhaustive research has produced an unprecedented window into the Beach Boys' thrilling successes, personal tragedies, and interband dramas globe-trotting rock-and-roll adventures from 1961 to 2012 ...

An extensive collection of unpublished photos and rare memorabilia images that bring fans deeper into the context of any given era covered in the book. This detailed, illustrated 50-year Surfin' Safari will blow your mind!"

Stebbins and Rusten give us a unique combination of history, chronology and beauty.
-The photos are beautiful; clear and clean, many previously unpublished, and recreate the evolving scenes and styles of the Beach Boys live performances
-The day-by-day, year-by-year chronicle of the band, surprisingly, captures the reader's interest, as their story unfolds, show-by-show and city-by-city
-The sidebars on each page place the concerts and appearances into the context of their times both in the life of the band and in the changing American culture

When the Beach Boys celebrate their 75th anniversary, this almost encyclopedic resource will continue to be one of the must-reads for anyone who wants to know what's behind the curtain of the greatest rock band America has ever produced.

Phil
www.PrayForSurfBlog.blogspot.com

This book is an absolute gift.
I'm in love with this book.

Will there be a live box companion so we can listen to each era as we read?

I haven't got much of a chance to go through it, but I've already seen some great photos.  I was surprised, for some reason, that it is a hardcover book.  I was expecting something like the Badman thing.  Speaking of which, all somebody needs to do now is put out a studio version of this book and we can throw away our Badmans, eh?

Maybe... as long as we can still access social security numbers...  :p

I thought there were only 50 hard covered books made.

aeijtzsche, do you have a limited edition copy or an off-the-shelf version?

Off the shelf.  I work at a bookstore and was going to order myself one but when I went to do so saw one was on its way anyway.  So yeah, just an ordinary book as shipped to my store.

I'll burn my copy.

Thanks all for the exciting reviews - hurry up, postman!

Greatly amused by the section in many years where they list "Shows that did not happen" and most of those cases it is to contradict the Badman book.  In one case they quote a show listed in Badman at a certain high school and indicate that the high school never existed.  And yes, all copies seem to be hardcover.  No dust jacket.  Pretty good binding.

Well that seemed worthwhile in the early years especially.  For example there is a poster that makes the rounds of the bbs playing in hartford on june 25 1965 but they didn't play anywhere on that date.  The poster people just picked an arbitrary date to make replica posters

This is amazing. Great job by everyone all around. I am very picky with books being a writer myself, but honestly this belongs in the top rank.

 That's funny!

I always thought that poster was legit. It's been on eBay for years. Glad I never picked one up!

This guy's trying to sell his Hartford/Dillon poster for how much?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1965-BEACH-BOYS-BRIAN-WILSON-CONCERT-POSTER-60s-USA-Tour-Dillion-Stadium-/400410894740?hash=item5d3a596194

This one has also been on Ebay for years. BB at the Whiskey in April, 1971. With a 1979 vintage picture in the middle. Asking price?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Beach-Boys-Poster-Framed-Celebrities-Musicians-/350287916349?pt=Art_Posters&hash=item518ec96d3d

Another reason that Ian's and Jon's is worth having.

Ian, I know that you know this Beach Boys concert was the real deal.  Wouldn't mind having the poster myself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjRi7MqgLY

I have that exact same Dillon Stadium poster.  ;D

Yeah that 1971 whiskey one is also funny because when I researched the date it turned out the poster lists the wrong days for those shows

MIkie, mine arrived yesterday from Amazon and it is a hardcover. I too was expecting a softcover book. Not bad for less than $23.00.

I only leafed through it quickly last night, but I have to say that the pics are terrific. The only bad thing was, was that I dis-remembered a 1974 concert that I attended. Seems it took place in early 1975. So, the show that I thought I saw Dennis and Ricky drumming together was most likely Dennis and Bobby F.

Yup, memory can be a bitch, especially when introduced to documented fact.  ;D

Indeed, it can. Also, the Tempe Stadium Show in Tempe, Arizona was an outdoor show and I'm sure you know how mind altering those shows could be. ;)

Yeah i went on a lot of wild goose chases searching for shows in the wrong year based on memories

IIRC, the Whiskey poster was part of a series of posters (of artists who had played there over the years) put together to celebrate a significant anniversary of the Whiskey's existence. The series was issued in the late '90s-early '00s. I remember seeing it advertised in Goldmine.

I have the Whiskey poster framed and in my office. Always got a kick out of the date and the obviously wrong chronological picture from the late 70's. Don't remember where I got it, but it was cheap as I recall; have had it up for a few years.

Scheduled to interview Jon for a podcast that will be listed along with the mini-review I posted yesterday @ http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/new-book-beach-boys-in-concert.html

If you are online right now, LMK a good question ...

my copy arrived at work today. what a nice book. been hard to fill prescriptions because i have been scanning thru the book. thank you jon and ian for putting this together. very nice indeed. also thanks for the acknowledgment :)
best of luck with the success of this wonderful book.

Well thanks for your help Steve.  I found a bunch of shows due to you

Ian - just completed a podcast with your co-author Jon Stebbins. He gives you high praise for the work done on this wonderful new book.  Would love to find a time to get your thoughts for a futre podcast. LMK if interested,

Phil@prayforsurf.net

Just made my order from Argentina, I'm very excited about it (one month and a half shipping though...  :-\)

Sorry it takes so long, but I hope you like it

I haven't bought the book yet, but I intend to soon. I have a question about a certain show that may or may not be mentioned in the book. I hope it's ok to ask, as I don't want to ruin any surprises or anything.  ;D Anyway, I have a beach boys show that's listed as being from Paris, from 1980. During the song "You Are So Beautiful", for some reason Dennis misses most of the words. It's almost as if he walked away from the microphone, and only returned for the very end of the song. I was just wondering if there might be any kind of explanation for what happened.

Only the date (6-8-80) & the venue are listed.

That was a pretty erratic period for dennis.  When he was sober he was great but when he was drinking all bets were off

Though most reviews of that tour don't mention any particularly bad behavior

Thanks for the info.  :) It's rather hard to figure out what happened just going by the audio recording. The audience seems to have a good laugh about something during the song.

On a slightly related note(in a roundabout way), oh, to have been a fly on the wall "backstage" after the 1981 Long Beach show, where Dennis shouted out "I love shawn! I love you shawnie(sp?)".  :lol

yeah there was a lot of tension on those tours-especially without Carl there to mediate

Backstage was The Queen Mary, and let's just say the ship was even weirder than the stage that day...

(And I'm still anxiously awaiting seeing the book myself!)

  Don't post much or at all, but I've gotta say I'm very impressed with this work and the depth of knowledge contained within.  My only minor complaint is that Ed Roach's picture of Dennis on page 261 is backwards. Other than that little snafu, the book is gorgeous and I love the fact there is no dust jacket. I hate those things.

Wow. What an incredible effort and beautiful book. Congratulations, Ian and John.

glad you like it.  I hadn't noticed that photo being backwards in my copy-but I'll look at it (not that I can do anything about it now anyways!)

Backwards compared to what?

Compared to... uh... the right way round ?

  You can tell it's backwards because the snare drum and hi hat are on the opposite side, like a left handed drummer (Phil Collins for instance) would set up. Dennis set his kit up right handed, so the snare and hi hat would be to the left of where he sat. Being a drummer, I noticed that immediately.

VERY happy to see that the May 12, 1973 double shows at SUNY Binghamton were confirmed! I corresponded with bgas about this and told him that I absolutely remember going to this because Dennis picked me up hitchhiking to the show that afternoon in his Winnebago (or whatever it was). I may have thought the date was '72 and not '73. They were supposed to play a free outdoor concert (I was there during the setup of the tent), but the concert had to be moved to the Men's Gym later that night because of the bad weather - and because of the demand that came with a free outdoor concert, they had to accommodate the situation with a second show. At the time we corresponded, I believe there was still no confirmation, despite the fact that a few friends who graduated with me distinctly remembered going. This was when Dennis screamed out "SHUT UP!" in the middle of Surf's Up to the idiots yelling requests during Carl's sublime singing. Wonderful to finally see this event confirmed in print.

There is one other question I have about Dennis, if I may. In the research that you and Jon did, what would you say was Dennis's worst period? Was 1983 the "rock bottom" like most people seem to agree on? Did he ever try to control his drinking while on tour and during shows?

Cripes! Let me turn that on its head and ask when Dennis peaked as a live perfomer (on stage, you cheeky Madame!)

Got my copy in the mail yesterday, and had a tough time putting it down last night. Ian and John, just a great job! Everything from the hard copy cover, to all of the detailed information and pics that I've never seen before, some extremely poignant. Just a great read; much kudos to you both for a job very well done!

Glad you liked it!!  As far as Dennis goes-I think the book (hopefully) does a good job of showing how popular he was in the early days-he really was the main (visual) attraction for a lot of young fans-with his "Beatles" haircut shaking as he drummed.  Yes-as the years passed his alcohol intake and volatility increased and he could ruin a show but we tried to include many reviews even from the last years that show he could also greatly add to it.  Review of San Diego 68-he was drunk but still incredible, Filmore 68-his Little Bird is still a favorite memory of that fan, 1972 tour-he wasn't drumming and some reviewers said he did little but stand around with a finger in his ear and add a little harmony-but people (such as Elvis Costello) still recall his "Cuddle Up" or "I've Got a Friend" as highlights of those shows,  1979-already entering his dark period-but the reviewer of the Radio City Shows-still thought he was the best thing about the performances.  At one show in 78 in he totally disrupted most of the show-but when he got behind the drum-kit at the end he pushed the guys to exert more energy in the finale.  I guess-the best period was 1969-1971. Would have been cool to see him on the 1970 UK tour

I am going against my better judgment and ordering this. :)  I know when it comes, everything will be put on hold.  I am still recovering from the "Beach Boys"
book. :)   I saw them in Pine Knob theatre (MI) in I think '74.  I think Ricky played drums and came out from behind them and did a (i think) big guitar solo. 
My parents introduced me to frog legs....only they didn't tell me it was frog legs. :)  tastes like chicken. :)

Productivity meter will show:     NONE [\......] LOTS
                                                         
Course reading the book and "educational learning" is productivity, right? :)

Jay

Speaking of correcting Badman entries for places that don't exist, I was surprised to see this great new book continue an error that also appears at Bellagio.

There is no such institution as "the State University of Oregon".

This is minor and fairly inconsequential but I'm still surprised that someone living on the west coast of the US would not know that the institution in Corvallis, OR was then and is now named Oregon State University. 

I was happy to see that the name of my alma mater and all the venues where I attended concerts were rendered correctly.

I knew there'd be some errors.  Hopefully there mostly minor. That was one of the first college tours

By the way The Gigs/Sessions section of Bellagio (AGD's Site)-which I compiled with him-is still essential viewing as I probably will continue to find shows.  Once manuscript was in and I couldn't add stuff I found the following:
Sept 27 1962 The Row, USC Campus-with the Marketts  (Unfortunately USC didn't publish a summer newspaper-so earlier USC Frat Party in summer 62 where Brian met Bob Norberg can't be precisely dated)
Apr 8 1975-University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jan 18 1981-Selland Arena, Fresno, CA

Ian they are minor and Jon and yourself should be proud. In a book of this size covering so many shows, I can count on one hand any minor errors I found. It wasn't mentioned that the 1993 Poplar Creek show with America was the first try out of the box set material. I was there, but have never been able to track down tapes. The Cleveland newspaper is the Plain-Dealer not Plains-Dealer. Sometimes "Surfer Girl" was printed "Little Surfer Girl". Again VERY minor for a book of this scope.

Thanks mike. Glad you liked it

The book is a real gem.

Among the many things I've learned from the book so far are just how hard working the touring band was. Wow.

Also that they shared several bills with the Jeffeson Airplane BEFORE Monterrey Pop. Made me wonder how the audiences at those shows responded to the mix of styles and IF it was a suggestion of possible negative repsonse at Monterrey Pop or IF it was an indication that crowds could appreciate both.

The collected reviews are also very interesting. Some seem pro forma or pre-determined. Some insightful. Highly variable responses even on the same tour.

Also, Mike's comment to an interviewer that Brian was too paranoid (that's the word he used) to leave home. Possibly the most direct remark on that topic that ever escaped a band member's lips.

Mike was very honest in the summer of 1982 about Brian and Dennis too. Maybe not tactful but honest. I learned so much in this book and I was at a point before it came out where I didn't there was much left to learn.

I understand what you mean-but thankfully there is always something new to discover with this group.  Thanks for the kind words.

Has anybody seen this in Barnes & Noble? I'm heading up there in a few days and I'm hoping to get my hands on this.

No problem, I also thought the Sun City 1981 show and the flack around it was fascinating.

I'm hoping that this book can clear up something I've been wondering about for quite a while now. I saw the beach boys twice at Blossom Music Center in Ohio in the early 1990's. One of the shows was in August of 1992. I think that I either saw them the year before that, or the year after. I'm pretty sure it was two years back to back. Those were the very first concerts I ever went to. Unfortunately, I was only about seven years old, so I remember very little about the shows, other than there being a horrible rainstorm at one of the shows. We had to leave early and I can still remember hearing them doing an encore as we were getting in the car. The only other details I can remember are Matt Jardine being introduced at one of the shows, and a lot of people in the audience were talking about how horrible Mike sounded at one of the shows.

I think the book makes it clear that Dennis was often singled out by reviewers and concert goers as a focal point of the group's shows in in 1964/65 as a drummer...and in 1965 and 1966 when his vocals on Do You Wanna Dance and You've Got to Hide Your Love Away were often cited as a highlight or peak audience reaction moments of the band's sets. Even though its early and he hadn't blossomed as a songwriter yet, he may have hit his peak as an audience favorite in that '64 - '66 era.

Got my book in the mail a could days ago, and I'm very very impressed with the detail and the beautiful pictures and the overall layout. Of course there are bound to be some minor errors, but this is of little consequence (one that I did notice is one that is widespread...my name is misspelled in the acknowledgements...but this is literally everywhere...bbfc, badman book, Esq, etc) :-) But I'm just grateful to have a mention in there! There is literally no one else who would have been as thorough and meticulous in making sure details about the different speed were correct than you! Congrats on a job excellently done! :-)

Got my book in the mail a could days ago, and I'm very very impressed with the detail and the beautiful pictures and the overall layout. Of course there are bound to be some minor errors, but this is of little consequence (one that I did notice is one that is widespread...my name is misspelled in the acknowledgements...but this is literally everywhere...bbfc, badman book, Esq, etc) :-) But I'm just grateful to have a mention in there! There is literally no one else who would have been as thorough and meticulous in making sure details about the different speed were correct than you! Congrats on a job excellently done! :-)

Al Jardine talks about the book!

http://youtu.be/NVS8pydRbVE (http://youtu.be/NVS8pydRbVE)

Eric, thanks again for yourr help. The site is great

FYI - -

Link to a new post and links for a new podcast with Jon Stebbins on the just released BB in concert book (he discusses Badman, Beachboysmaina and the BBs legacy)

Post:
http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/exclusive-podcast-with-jon-stebbins-on.html

Podcast:
https://archive.org/download/BeachBoysJuly320134/BeachBoysJuly320134_vbr_mp3.zip  Download zip file
https://archive.org/download/BeachBoysJuly320134/BeachBoysJuly320134_vbr.m3u    Download
https://archive.org/stream/BeachBoysJuly320134    Stream

Looking forward to doing my interview with you today! Great job

My copy arrive in the mail today. It's beautiful -- very nice job Jon and Ian!

I have a question for both of you -- would you like us to send you guys dates for any concerts we don't see listed in the book? Especially the early shows?

The thing I loved about the book was finding out how hostile some of the crowds were in the early 70s when they weren't playing the older songs. In hindsight it is kind of amazing the BB held off as long as they did.

I admire that they all (Mike very much  included) told the people who go to Beach Boys shows to "PARTY" to effectively f off. Too bad they caved, but it had to have been almost impossible not to. I still think had they stayed the course and set up the shows like 1974-75, box set shows in 1993, or 2012 it would have been a happy middle ground. I mean at the second C50 show I saw in Milwaukee most of the crowd loved the WHOLE show, but there was this asshole booing and heckling everything he didn't know. He was so clueless he booed some of the hits too. Shows what they were up against and reminds me of Dylan when he changed his style over the years. Difference is Dylan never cared about being popular so much as playing music to people who "got" it. Maybe if the Beach Boys had not been so clueless money wise, they would have been in the same position to do so. At least maybe they would not have gone so far the other way.

Emdeeh, Yes please send them to me-in addition to any possible future updated edition-I will continue to contribute to AGD's website-where our list of gigs/sessions is continually updated as we find stuff.  I think that we have 95% of the shows in the book-but I'd sure love to find that other 5%!!!

As far as the other points raised-I heartily agree. One of the things I think is stressed in the book is that the BBs really did try to stay relevant and not become an oldies act (yes-even Mike!!) but were just worn down after three years of actually arguing and fighting with audiences (some of them extremely rude!!)

I think that's an interesting perspective. He certainly was in the spotlight those early days and he seemed to take the shows (or being at his best for those shows) so much less seriously by the mid seventies. Of course addiction is a funny thing and I wonder when he stopped "acting up" and it started to be painful or impossible to stay sober until curtain time.

Myself as a listener I tend to like Dennis in the 1968-72 shows best. Simply because his voice and songs were just so amazing during that time, I would pick one of those shows if I wanted to see a really good performance from him. Granted the book makes clear that Dennis' decline was rooted as early as 1971. Dennis had great moments all through the sixties and seventies, just gradually less of them over time. I mean even in 1977 footage he seems different than 1976, and by 1979 I doubt he ever was able to completely hide his ongoing problems. Funny that Australia 1978 seems to be a last hurrah of sorts for him as a performer, considering just how awful things were getting for him and the group it's almost bizarre.

Yeah by all accounts his behavior in australia in 78 was very bad but in the footage from Melbourne we're all familiar with he looks great and in total control

We have discussed this in other threads throughout the years. It really was incredible on one hand, but rude and disrespectful on the other. I was at a few shows between 1972 and 1975 and saw and heard it first hand. I never blamed Mike entirely for going the oldies route. The band tried for years to keep the shows balanced, but each succeeding year got worse and worse until they gave in and gave the crowds what they wanted to hear.

Does anyone think the huge success of the double album greatest hits 'Endless Summer' played a big part in the Beach Boys going back to the oldies? I was 12 years old in 1974 when it was released and that album was everywhere. That was my introduction to the Beach Boys. 'Spirit of America' was soon to follow. It did prove that people were still interested in the older songs. The Warner 2-fers served their purpose in exposing a new fan like me to albums like 20-20 and Wild Honey.

Unfortunately it was inevitable that the live shows would consist of 'greatest hits' rather than new material.

Fantastic book! I'll post a few comments and questions later. Still going through it!! It's great to confirm shows that I attended.

.

The thing I will fault Mike for is the decision to include silly songs like long tall Texan and little old lady from Pasadena in the set in the early 80s rather than playing anything from the 70s

Oh, I totally agree with that. I would say up through the 1980 concert season that there wasn't much that they could do, but they at least played songs from their new releases.

Growing up we had an 8-track player in the house and one of the few 8-track tapes I had for it was the BB's "Greatest Hits Vol.2" on Capitol, so I actually was more familiar with an obscurity like "Long Tall Texan" through that greatest hits album. I was still a little too young to go to big shows like that in the early 80's but I'm guessing the song had the same kind of familiarity for a lot of other fans who had the greatest hits album(s). I suppose it could have been a case of giving the people a familiar song that was easy for the band to play, odd as the choice may seem now. And it gave Mike a chance to clown around a bit, which for him probably outweighed in some ways doing something musically substantial.

With Little Old Lady..., that one doesn't make sense, actually the Beach Boys doing any J&D tunes besides maybe Surf City still seems kind of silly when they had so many more to choose from. And the flip side of that is the Jan and Dean concert I saw, late 90's, where if I remember they did just as many if not more Beach Boys songs than their own material! That was another head-scratcher.

Yeah-it's true, however, that bands are often pretty lazy when it comes to set lists.  I mean the Stones have tons of great sixties and seventies tracks that they never, or hardly ever, play.  You can be guaranteed of hearing Satisfaction or Jumping jack Flash,  but you'll hardly ever get Parachute Woman or Heart of Stone or Play With Fire.  Similarly-Ray Davies wrote tons of great stuff in the late 60s that he didn't think worked in concerts-so it wasn't till five years ago that he played Shangri-La on stage!! 

I give those bands that do dig deep into the archives to pull out those hidden gems for the fans a lot of credit - it's definitely not the easy way out! But I see it as a gift for the core fans at those shows, somehow. I can only imagine the outrage if a less-devoted fan paid 500 dollars for a Stones ticket and they didn't do Satisfaction!  ;D

I also go back to the BB's free Philly July 4th show '95, and in all honesty the song "Summer In Paradise" almost brought the energy of the show to a dead stop. They just kept repeating the damn hook at the end and it seemed like it would never end, and I think 3/4ths of the crowd didn't know what they were hearing. That kind of free outdoor show is where the "play the hits" mentality isn't only expected, it's all but required!  :) And there's Mike repeating a borderline song he had been plugging endlessly for the previous 2-3 years with no result.

The book has not arrived yet but I'm obviously looking forward to reading it!

Both Ian and Jon confirmed this when I interviewed them. THe late 60's and early 70's shows were very balanced and included current album cuts:
      "The band tried for years to keep the shows balanced, but each succeeding year got worse and worse until they gave in and gave the crowds what they wanted to hear."

I assume you are asking Ian and Jon (authors of the BBs in Concert book) ... Ian indicated an interest when I interviewed him for a podcast...

Definitely, the outlook/scope of the setlist was much different earlier than it became into the 90's. At the same time, there were those large-scale free shows like July 4th '95 (sorry to keep referencing that one...) where no one paid admission and a lot of the audience members were there to party no matter who was on stage, so doing something like Summer In Paradise was a questionable choice when the gig was specifically a free "play the hits" kind of show.

And there is a backstory to the Philly '95 free show that perhaps isn't worth getting into the politics behind it, but to sum up the choice of the Beach Boys as the headline act that year created something of a controversy, and in the weeks before and after the show there were letters to the editor in Philly papers and various calls to talk radio complaining about the choice of the Beach Boys to headline - and not at all for the reasons that drove the 1983 dust-up in DC. As a major Beach Boys fan, to say the least it was infuriating to read them being picked apart before the actual show because some in Philly wanted someone else for their free show before the fireworks. And the Beach Boys never did another July 4th in Philly, which is too bad because the show was actually pretty good despite being a bit too heavy on the Stamos.  :-D

Ian and Jon,

Thoroughly enjoying looking through your book.  Today I took my list of 35 shows I attended
from 1967-1997 and had a great time locating them in the book.  It brought back alot of good
memories.  And yes... all 35 were documented in the book.  You guys did a really nice job, and
it is certainly a great reference/collectable to have on the book shelf...

Best regards,

CJ

New podcast with Ian Rusten on the making of The Beach Boys in Concert (and more!) @
http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/podcast-researching-legacy-of-beach-boys.html

Glad everyone seems to enjoy the book.  I was happy to see it finally appear in my local book store and was informed it will be in Barnes and Nobles this week or next. 

We should have added this topic much sooner to the "Album, Book and Video Reviews And Discussions" subsection...

... but here it is: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15902.0.html

I've spent the weekend with this book and concur with popular sentiment: it is an outstanding piece of work. Great pics, great info, hard to put down. Congratulations.

Did you buy it from your local bookstore just for the experience?

Got mine over the weekend through Amazon.  Beautiflly presented, well done.  Weighs about 10 lbs., so plenty of information.  With the exception of the natural setlist mistake here or there, exceptional job.  Thanks for completing this, a great and needed addition to the BB's library.

This is a beautiful publication and one that the authors should be proud of. Thank you Ian and Jon for your outstanding efforts.

Arrived yesterday (here in UK).

Good god, guys, I'm gonna have to set aside a month to read every word of this!

Lots of great details, nice period illustrations, and obviously meticulously researched!

Mine arrived today here in Spain from Amazon. This book is a dream come true!
Thanks Ian for including me in the aknowledgments.

Julio Pelayo

Glad to hear everyone seems to like it

Ian, Howie sent me a picture of you at your in store appearance the other night.  Would love for you to tell us about it

Edit: deleted. My bad  :P

For a quick review of the book here would it be 'okay' to post a couple of photos one has taken of the content (layout, photos, etc.)? I don't mean actual scans, but rather shots like this (random example):

(http://www.pacsignatures.com/shop/images/T/130.jpg)

Ordered one from a Dutch retailer. Can't wait! ;D

You're not going to be disappointed  !   :)  Be assured that all Dutch concerts (and those are not too many) are well documented.

Haven't seen Ian around since I asked about his appearance, but this is lifted from the YouTube page here:


Ian Rusten talks about The Beach Boys In Concert book!

The Beach Boys 101 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcdYgwLWzjA

Where did all these Beach Boys photos come from? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccVAgL4Urk4

How Did Ian Rusten Come to Write a Book on the Beach Boys? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7qhwZghQgY

Why the Beach Boys? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zih95Wh1OFc

Ian Rusten at Book Expo 2013 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bJvNbchKio

Comes across as a nice guy. Interesting tidbits on how the book came to be.

Great job Ian!

Never has it seemed to take so long for an item to arrive by the mail!!!

Is Charles Bukowski the new mail carrier in my neighborhood!!!???

Hi
I am on a short trip and haven't checked in a few days. Glad everyone liked the book.  In store appearance was great. Thanks for your great photos Ed!
Ian

I received my "Beach Boys In Concert" book along with some other nice paper items in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised to see it personalized to me from both Ian and Jon. I've looked diligently for other autographs of Ian's and Jon's on the internet to verify their authenticity, but I'm pretty sure they're originals and were not forged. And I don't suspect that an autopen was used to compromize their legitimacy. 

This is a very nice hard cover book and I strongly encourage those who don't have it already, JUST GET IT. It's a great Beach boys reference tool along with being very entertaining with anecdotes and pictures, many in color and unreleased before now. I keep picking it up to read the reviews from various venues in the U.S. over the years. It includes virtually every Beach boys show I attended in the Bay Area from 1973 to 1997, and that's a lot!!

Here's the review form the first Beach Boys concert I ever attended. I attended either the 11/17/73 or 11/18/73 concert. I believe it was Saturday, the 17, but don't recall any health issues, fighting with Blondie, or anything less than a great concert. To me, it was the beginning of decades of fandomania, and I remember the "first impression" I got from this concert triggered a lifelong appreciation of the Beach Boys. After this first concert, I went up to Sacramento the following week and that solidified the Beach Boys as being one of the top concert acts that I ever saw, beginning as a teenager. In between those S.F. and Sacramento dates, the "BB In Concert" album was released and along with other fans, we played it to death.   


From Ian's and Jon's book:

Saturday November 17 and Sunday November 18, 1973, Winterland, S.F. California w/Commander Cody and Three Man Army.

Ed Roach filmed a part of this concert. Blondie Chaplin, normally a fine player, was barely functional. Dennis Wilson’s main function was to look pretty and lean at odd moments, plugging one ear, closed eyed, into the microphone as he rubbed his crotch and produced ill-matched harmonies. Even Carl Wilson and Al Jardine were having trouble fitting their vocals. A fan who attended recalled that he personally witnessed Carl and Al wrestling with a crying and screaming Blondie to get him to go onstage. This drama undoubtedly contributed to his exit from the group the following month in December (New York).  Interviewed the nest day, Carl blamed the bad performance on colds that the band members had caught. “Our voices were shot and Blondie was a bit wasted. I noticed it was one of the few times I’ve ever felt trapped by the older numbers. I’m beginning to get tired of them".


Wednesday, November 21, 1973, Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento California w/Commander Cody and Three Man Army.

After an eight year absence, the group returned to Sacramento, John Hurst of the Sacramento Bee reported “white balloons floated and lights flashed and the bobbing crowd on the main floor stood for a better look, the BB ripped through a total of songs mostly familiar hits from early bubblegum to latter day powerhouse. Twice they left the carpeted stage but returned for encores after two minutes each time of uninterrupted cheering from the multitude. They then finished with a romping Jumping Jack Flash that included a visual climax of dancing lights from mirrored spheres spinning high overhead and from a backdrop of colored lights on the stage".


Again, this is a fine book and hopefully everyone who calls themselves fans of the Beach Boys should have it for their collections. I'd say it's a must-have. Congratulations to Ian and Jon for a publication that you obviously put a lot of hard work into and I believe it has really paid off for you!

Thanks for the nice review Mikie, glad you are digging the book!

I plan on getting the book, but how long before a paperback edition might be out?  I'm not a big fan of hardcover books.  Thanks, it sounds fantastic.

I FINALLY got my copy a few days ago and almost feel like my heavy breathing on it is destroying it so am trying to ration out my hysterical enthusiasm. It's such a well-edited and assembled piece of work, so much stuff and tidbits flying out of nowhere that I didn't know -- which is what we all want, isn't it? Thumbs up and thanks for putting all that work into getting those incredible photos included. All the little details, an OCD OSD's delight!

Hey we are glad everyone seems to like it.  It's cool to get feedback as you write these things in isolation.  Jon and I appreciate the kind words.  Mikie-Thanks for your help with the book (cool info/memories over the years).  That late 73 period must have been a great time to see the BBs

A lot of books claim to be the "Ultimate" this or that (probably at the behest of the publishers).

This is one of the few books I've seen that achieves that claim made on its cover.

Big kudos to Ian and John for turning what must have been an immmense amount of research into a fascinating and well written book.

If money was no object-I would have had way more photos (one of every gig I could find)-but I am happy with it all things considered

That seems like a good idea in itself. A Beach Boys concert picture book. It would probably be a legal nightmare with trying to get permission to use every photo, but it would be one hell of an awesome book!  ;D Especially if it was a multi volume set. 8)

Not a review but I just wanted to mention something that randomly popped up during a local Philly television entertainment and food show this weekend, focusing on Atlantic City. They were spotlighting the opening of one of those Jimmy Buffet chain restaurants in A.C. and mentioned that Buffet showed up and gave a concert on the beach for the grand opening festivities which drew the usual "parrothead" crowds, something like 15,000 (not sure on that number). Then they popped up a trivia tidbit about what was the largest beach concert ever staged in Atlantic City.

It was the Beach Boys, July 4, 1983. I think the figure they gave was that an estimated 250,000 fans were there for that gig, which makes it hands-down the record holder. Even if the figure is off, it was still a staggering amount to people to come to a concert or anywhere in Atlantic City for a music event. I doubt anyone could have or ever will top that.

I thought that was a pretty cool thing to see in such a random place, and to put into perspective what those in 2013 considered a large turnout for Jimmy Buffet on the beach versus what kind of crowds the Beach Boys could draw on the same beaches back in '83.

  Maybe Rocker can put this book together using all the pics he's ever seen,  to sell to those that want it.   Legalities be damned! 
Incognito, of course....

I've been spending many hours enjoying Ian and Jon's book, and I'm pleased that I was able to make some contributions to the info contained therein.

For the record, though, I would like to point out that a quote is incorrectly attributed to me in the write up for the April 20, 1973 concert at the Hollywood Palladium, where it is stated, "Fan Rob Shepherd recalled, 'Audree Wilson arrived early, sat in the balcony, and chatted with several fans, including me. ... Murry was surprisingly jovial and seemed to enjoy the concert.'"

Don't know who submitted that info, but it wasn't me.  Prior to and during the concert I was on the floor close to the stage, (standing room only festival seating), rather than in the balcony, and I'm visible (if you know exactly where to look!) on the cover of the BBs in Concert album. After the concert I did have the opportunity to talk to a friendly and affable Brian Wilson, along with his wife Marilyn, followed by spending some time, along with a few other fans, with Bruce Johnston on stage as he sang a few songs and played the keyboard as roadies were packing up the equipment around us, leaving me with the distinct impressing that he really missed being a member of the band.  More details, as well as photos I took that night, can be found on Malcolm Searles site "The Beach Boys Back Through the Opera Glass".

Obviously, with all the material compiled, an incorrect attribution is an easy mistake to make, but since it involves my name I wanted to officially point it out.

For anyone interested in the history of the Beach Boys, Ian and Jon's book is a must have!  The book is absolutely gorgeous, printed on high quality slick paper with a hard cover, and including tons of info and photos, all in chronological order.

Sorry Rob-Not sure how that happened-if someone on this board told me that quote please let me know-if there is ever a revised edition I'll try to fix it.  Thanks for the praise though.  As you can see from the info on that show-Chip Rachlin was also there and told me that was his first meeting with Brian (even though he'd been acting as the BBs booking agent for two years by that time) and the only time he met Murry.  Wish there was a photo of them!! Unfortunately the only photo I've ever seen of Brian there-is the one you took where you can't see his face.  Murry attended a few shows that year-Nick Kent also mentions seeing him at a March 1973 California show in an NME review.

I got the book last week and I love it. Definately one of those Beach Boys books that just should excist, so it's a good thing that now it finally does.

The only complaint I have is about the years from 1985 on. I think it's almost like the book was written chronologically and after 1985 the writers just kind of lost interest. I think it would have been much better if those years (at least up until 1998) would have been worked out with as much care as the years before it, or if the book just would've been "The Beach Boys in Concert 1961-1985". Now it seems a bit incomplete for what it tries to be.

But apart from that it's an excellent book.

There were a number of factors that led us to devote less time to 1986 to 2011. The biggest factor was length.  The publishers didn't want a book that was much longer and we didn't want to cut anything out from the earlier years. Glad you liked it though.

Ian & Jon,

I'll just add to the choruses of what an amazing book this is. After receiving it a few weeks ago, and just "spot-checking" it up to this point, I finally had the time today to read it cover-to-cover. In terms of information, it's absolutely essential for anyone who calls themselves a Beach Boys fan. What a beautiful layout to boot! Reading the original Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland Press reviews for the shows I attended in '79 and '80, at The Palace Theater and Blossom respectively, really brought back the rush of what it was like to "attack" the newspaper, the morning or two after a show happened, and find out what the local critics had to say about what I had just experienced. That was always almost as fun as the concert itself to me! Somewhere, I still even have the handbill for the Palace show, as well as the tourbook for the Blossom concert. Let me just say that you guys really did a great job of recapturing the thrill of that place in time!

And while specifically not mentioned in detail, the timeline layout also jogged my memories of both Dennis and Carl's solo appearances here in Cleveland during that era. In Denny's case, an in-store signing to promote POB at Peaches Records & Tapes, and for Carl, not only his concert at the Cleveland Agora, but a completely live TV performance of "Hold Me" on The Afternoon Exchange as well (IIRC, recorded during his sound check).

Also, something I've been meaning to ask since receiving the book, and unless I'm missing something: I can't seem to find the recording venue/date citation for the last track on the '73 Concert album, "Fun, Fun, Fun."  All the others on the album seem to be present and accounted for, except this one. If I'm missing it, my apologies and please feel free to steer me in the right direction. But if not, would it be possible to still retrieve that information from someone (e.g. Alan)? The historian in me (or obsessive...lol) is itching to mentally fill-in that last block of important info. Any help would be greatly appreciated...assuming the recording details on that live track still exist.


thanks again!
Dave