The Smiley Smile Message Board

Brian's playing at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA.

Wait...

I thought only Mike & Bruce played casinos, and that Brian would never stoop so low. Obviously a misprint.  ::)

Who said Brian never played casinos? The Beach Boys have been playing casinos since the late 70’s/early 80’s, and Brian has played casino venues on a number of occasions. This is like that ridiculous “Wineries” discussion from a few weeks back.

I’m befuddled as to why a notice for a single additional Brian Wilson show needs an op-ed component to it.

I can’t tell who the contempt is stronger for, Brian Wilson or these straw man “Brianista” fans that largely don’t seem to exist, at least not here.

I mean, there’s a point at which you kind of have to decide, if you have that much disdain for things an artist is doing and how they’re doing it, just move on to another band or something.

Back to the actual topic, sans snark, I'm curious to know if this is the front end of a larger tour, since other dates we have are in October. I also hope it means we might see an announcement soon for the album.

Brian is a genius, so he's allowed anything, as opposed to evil evil Mike Love. Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi! ;D

Brian is a genius, he really is. I don't believe in evil people though.

I think both Brian and the Mike and Bruce show need the occasional casino because of more limited drawing power. The reunited Beach Boys don't. Therein lies the difference and the problem most people have.

Casinos aren't the problem, sea world is.

This was actually one of the stops on the c50 tour. One of the three shows I got to see. It's a pretty decent venue.

A casino (or winery) may or may not have a larger capacity (and may or may not have higher ticket prices) than other venues these bands might play. I'm sure some casinos have big, grand halls or rooms that seat more people than some "proper" indoor theaters.

When Brian or Mike play casinos, it's usually not some sort of general admission "$5 at the door" sort of thing. They are booked just like any other venue, and tickets are sold in the same fashion.

I saw Ringo once at the "Cache Creek Casino & Resort"; it was literally just a HUGE hotel conference room/ballroom sort of setup. But it had a lot of seats, tickets were probably more expensive than when I had seen him at the Berkeley Community Theater or Concord Pavilion for instance, and tickets were sold on Ticketmaster just like any other show.

It seems like bands often if not usually do not really pay a lot of attention to what "type" of venues they book in terms of "reputation" or "perception." I think, ironically, there were some articles during C50 that mentions there actually was some thought put into some of the more "prestigious" venues or venues with good/hip reputations that they booked. I think the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley was interestingly one of those; it had been a number of years since an iteration of the Beach Boys had played there.

The SeaWorld gig seemed to be a huge topic during my formative days on this forum.  Seemed like it was all SeaWorld and casinos for a really long time.  I find AGD's jab rather appropriate.

People have complained here about Mike playing casinos. It may be more noticeable in Mike's case because he plays over 100 gigs a year, so he probably plays more casinos in a year than Brian ever does.

I looked on Brian's website, and there is nothing on this gig on the main tour page, nor either of his later gigs in Modesto and Long Beach. A fan mentioned it on Brian's message board, after noticing a news article on it a few days ago. The only things on Brian's tour page are the past gigs in Cork and Hopyard Farm.

Off topic, but if I have any beef with Brian or any iteration of the Beach Boys playing in casinos, it's that I can't bring my kids.  I've got three sons, ages 9, 12, and 14 who are dying to see the Boys live.  Mike and band played at a casino down the road from us earlier this year, but sorry, kids.

It depends on the casino, doesn't it? I went to quite a few shows when I was a child at the Nevada casinos (Tahoe and Vegas). I remember my parents being very careful to keep us kids away from the casino floor, but there was no problems with the people in the theater. Other kids were there, too. Maybe the Indian casinos are different?

It's a great venue. Some people just have to convolute the argument.

Problem is the legacy; and M&B play some real crapy venues. Like the casino near me.

The C50 Beach Boys sold out one show at Mohegan Sun and played to near capacity the next night. Bruce Springsteen also just played there two nights in a row (both shows sold out).

Nothing wrong with playing casinos.

I wondered about that and actually called to check.  This particular venue (casino in Wendover, NV) didn't allow children in the theater, which is strange because I've actually stayed there with my kids, who had to walk thru the casino floor with me to register.

There are always distinctions. The Mohegan Sun, for instance, has a substantial indoor arena that's like any other concert venue. My sister and I saw the Queen + Adam Lambert show there last week. To me, that's different from someone actually playing to a roomful of gamblers (although I'm pretty sure BW has done at least a couple of those dates too).

I think the initial furor over Mike and Bruce at SeaWorld was much more about the contrast between the bigger, splashier venues used for the C50 shows, and the kind of venues he voluntarily returned to.

I did find it funny that when Mike later cancelled a gig at a SeaWorld property, Busch Tampa Gardens, due to the controversy over the "Blackfish" documentary, several people posted on his board that they hated him for cancelling that show and claiming that if it were Brian Wilson, Brian would never cancel on his fans. Well, considering his fans supposedly appreciate Brian for not playing that type of venue in the first place . . .

Jesus dude, if you've got that small a sense of humor, I seriously suggest you shouldn't leave the house without someone to explain the jokes to you.

You any kin to The Cohen Of Silence ?  ;D

Going to Las Vegas taught me the difference between casinos and dive casinos.

Nah, I get the humor. I just ignore when it's caked in disdain for fellow fans, or these straw man "Brianistas." I do admit one of my idiosyncrasies and where I sometimes go wrong is when I assume too much about the motivations behinds comments rather than the comments themselves. I suppose a comment needling
whomever has both criticized Mike for playing casinos and also claim Brian never has is ultimately rather innocuous (it didn't make me laugh either though; and I'm not sure how many people here have actually proposed the idea that Brian has never played casinos). But when I assume (perhaps wrongly) that the snark of the comment is motivated more by disdain for some subset of fans rather than a random bit of humorous commentary, it makes me wonder.

I could think of a million funny things to say about Brian, or Brian booking a gig, or any of the other BB's. Some folks on this board have been some of the only people to literally make me do spit takes laughing while reading (the person who posted the pic of Stamos with the "BAD" lineup for one; and plenty of folks in the "weird pics of Mike" thread).

I suppose it is kind of hilarious as I picture most of us here posting as something like this:

(http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/comic-book-guy-computer.jpg?w=650&h=354)

 :lol

C'mon. That pic totally goes along with one of those "you mentioned bootlegs? gone!"

Brian's concert at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, October 1999, was a seminal moment in determining what came after. This is a fact.

  In that case, I'm going to party like it's 1999

So you say, after the event.  :)

Henceforth, for the likes of you, I'll start using something like #humor, or #sarcasm in any situation where I feel you might be in danger of taking my subtle English wit as being indeed serious. I'm considerate like that.

Wonder if Al will be with him.

Interesting question. I would imagine they're lining up all the tour dates before making a full tour announcement. If it is a full tour and it's starting at the end of August, I would expect an announcement soon.

That could actually help. Or make it sound even more like snark. It's worth a try!?! If you knew me, you'd know it takes a pretty specific type to make me the alleged humorless straight man.

It's ironic, it's kind of like reading Sean O'Hagan's description of Mike's "joking" jabs at him, or Bill Champlin's description of Brian in the Usher book. At least *someone* apparently thought it was funny, even if just one guy. :lol

I wanted to punch Bill Champlin after reading that, but there are two sides to every story.

If it's a full tour lasting through September, I'd seriously hope that they'd have all the venues and dates locked in and announced by now. But, Brian's management have a long history of booking and announcing tours piecemeal, so the current status isn't in any way surprising. Plus, given the 8/30 venue, I'd be astonished if it was anything more than the standard BW GH set. I'd love to be proven wrong (and probably will be roughly 13.7 seconds after I hit "post": mea culpa standing by) but currently we have one date (announced scant hours ago), a gap of 40 days, then two shows in three days (announced a few weeks ago). Maybe my cynical gene is becoming dominant but that doesn't look anything like a full-on tour to me, just SOP.

I just assumed when I heard about the casino gig that they had offered Brian the requested amount of $$$ to do the show so he accepted.

Exactly. Didn't his daughters say he was cutting back on concerts this year? One offs only I think.

Don't feed the troll!

....Oh wait...Its AGD.... As you were! ;)

But "according to someone who would know" (#sarcasm) Brian's daughters are lying when they say they spend a lot of time with him. So obviously that's not the case.

No that was a misprint. Speaking as someone who doesn't know, he has moved in with Carnie. ;D

Andrew;

Actually , I think Brian's management made the right call here; why do a full tour lasting through September without anything to really promote ?  Later in the fall he has a new album coming out and a major film to support, so it doesn't make a lot of sense for Brian to go out and do a late summer/early fall tour . Best to do a few dates, get the band back in gear, shake off the rust and get prepared for the late fall when he  has both of these things to support. Smart play by management ;secure the record deal with Capitol , major movie ; then get out there and promote the hell out of it.  Ray

I suppose they've learned from last fall! yikes!

Appreciate that Ray. My main point is, we've got someone here looking at three dates, two separated by over a month, and conjuring a full-on tour out of that scant info. Might not be up there with "I can hear autotune on the nine second cell phone clip" drivel but, as you point out, there's going to be nothing to promote in August and likely September, thus this is an advanced case of wishful thinking.

My only point was that *IF* the August date is the beginning of a full tour, then we would probably have an announcement soon, given we're four to five weeks from that tour date. No particular actual insight into whether it was/is actually the start of a full tour.

Brian has sometimes done one-off shows, and also in some cases for artists, full tours first surface as scattered bookings that we learn about before a full tour schedule announcement.

No wishful thinking, just ruminating on possibilities, none of which are that far-fetched.

Oh wait, maybe I'm just not picking up on the #hilarioussenseofhumor again.  :lol

Yeah, Champlin kind of came off like a dick in that story. Clearly he was not at all sympathetic to Brian's weird situation. It is interesting though to get an "outsider's" take on all of that.

Not according to some people on this board.

Consider: an infinite number of monkeys...

According to someone who would know, Al is officially joining for the Modesto gig.

It was just officially posted on Brian's FB page that Al would be there.

Brian was the "someone who would know" that I was referencing. ;-)

And David joins Mike & Bruce for an upcoming show. Geez, those BBs... :smokin

You just couldn't make it up, could you ?

Anyone here know which way Blondie's leaning these days ?  ;D

Who said Brian doesn't play casinos??? Might want to tell that to Brian -- where has he played every time he's done Vegas?

Brian has three gigs in the US lined up, and the only one being publicized on his site and on Twitter/Facebook is the Modesto show.  Tickets are on sale to all three shows. What, do only shows with Al Jardine count? Are they waiting for Al to agree to appear before they publicize a show?  I would think announcing a gig that's coming up in August should take priority over one that doesn't take place until October.

What did Champlin say? I've searched and can't really find anything but reaction to it. I'm a big fan of his and didn't know he had said negative things about BW.

Going from memory here based on the McParland/Usher book: Usher brought in Champlin as a "session singer" for some of the demos he was cutting with Brian. Apparently, Champlin was not a big of Brian (or his personality anyway). I remember the specific reference being not trusting a guy who only laughs at his own jokes. Apparently, Champlin noted that Brian was stonefaced when anyone else in the room made jokes. But when Brian would make a joke, Brian would laugh and laugh.

My recollection while reading this was that Champlin, being an "outsider", was not used to Brian's weirdness and idiosyncrasies, and may not have known a lot of Brian's detailed backstory. Basically, he was reading Brian's eccentricity as Brian being a d**k, probably because he (Chaplin) didn't know a lot about Brian.

I remember feeling that Champlin was kind of being a d**k about it, but as with many outside observers who get brief glimpse of the inside, who have made these types of observations (e.g. Jeff Beck, who I should note made some observations about Brian that were more sympathetic even if they made Brian look bad), there probably is some truth to elements of what they're saying. Brian shouldn't have been getting a free pass to be an a-hole because he had a rough life. On the other hand, Champlin was kind of coming across as an a-hole himself.

Why does this matter? Brian's camp is notorious for being scattered about tour dates. I saw the "Smile" 2004 show in November 2004 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. The show was added to the schedule a bit after most of the shows as I recall. More importantly, it was *never* added to the tour schedule on Brian's website. Not before the show. Not the night of the show. Not after. It was still a sell out (not that that matters in terms of what's being discussed). But if you went by their schedule, the show I went to never took place.  :lol

I pondered trying to make the Modesto show, but it's just too far. I'm hoping more dates pop up at some point, hopefully with Al in tow.

I'm glad to see Al is still a part of hopefully at least some of the shows.

Duck... dirk... dork... dark ?

Anyone wanting the answer will have to pick up McParland's excellent and now much more easily able-to-be-purchased tome "The Wilson Project (2013 Edition)." There's a free plug!   ;D

The book really is tantalizing for those that don't have it. A must-purchase for fans and scholars.

It seems they were waiting for Al Jardine to agree to do the two other shows before announcing them on the BW website tour page. He finally has, and he will be at all three shows announced so far.

http://www.wmmr.com/music/news/story.aspx?ID=2163312

Al is in for all three gigs.

From Howie's news feed. Al takes some shots at Mike and echos the words of Dennis......

Oh my.  :-D  Wait for it...

I wonder why Jeff Foskett wasn't content to spend the rest of his life at the master's feet?  And why Al wasn't allowed to talk to Brian for years, including when they were both at the Hawthorne monument?  Just curious, though they may not be connected.

Given recent (non) events that (could have) involved Alan, his little diatribe makes for... interesting reading. Still, he sure knows which side his bread's buttered.  ;D

The Al quotes appear to be from *last year*, as shown in this article from Howie Edelson dated July 22, 2013:

http://www.wmmr.com/music/news/story.aspx?ID=2010108

Not sure if he would say anything differently this year, but there’s no extra “boldness” or anything to be read into these comments in relation to the “Jones Beach Incident”, etc. The comments are from Al hyping last  year’s short summer tour with Brian and Dave.

I’m also not sure I’d call Al’s comments a “diatribe.” Yes, he clearly was (and now is) saddling up with the “Brian camp.” But he’s saying in that quote that he feels Mike doesn’t get that the other guys are Brian’s messengers. That’s not hugely inflammatory, nor a “diatribe” in my opinion. Further, Al also mentions that Mike is a “great talent and singer and writer himself.” That’s more complements than I’ve seen Mike offer to Al in an interview any time lately, and perhaps in the last 16 years.

How is any of that a 'diatribe' (!)? ::)

Because I say so.  :old

Anyone going tonight?  Post anything newsworthy if you can.  Thanks!!

I hope somebody went, maybe a new song was played  ^-^

Hope Brian has more leads than at the last show...

I was gonna go, but changed my mind on Friday. Just too hot out there right now.

I went.  Much to my surprise the high vocals were done by a guy named Chad (no Matt Jardine) they said it was his first show.  It was solid, everybody sounded good.  Scotty nailed Sail on Sailor and Darian Darlin.  Good crowd if a little under-attended.

Hmm I wonder if Matt just couldn't make it for this one show? I really enjoyed this venue when I saw the c50 lineup there two years ago.

Any surprises in the setlist?

How many songs did Brian give the leads away to?

How prominent was Chad in the mix?

Let's see...leads given away, just Darlin' and Sail On Sailor.  Al did Cottonfields and Rhonda of course.  Chad did a lot of Don't Worry Baby.  He was fairly prominent in the mix doing the high parts. - pretty much the same as Jeff but not doubling Brian here and there like Jeff used to do.  He was fine but his voice was just not as good as Jeff or Matt, looked to be a really young guy.  No real surprises in the set list - I was a little surprised to hear "Girl Don't Tell Me"

Heck, if they're hiring on new guys, I work really cheap!

:lol

"Chad" is Chad Odhner of The Fendertones.

Cool!! I'm excited for him, singing with his idol and stuff. The Fendertones are superb and that guy can sing!



EDIT: (Kind of a 'flat' performance of) GOK from last night - you can briefly see Odhner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2PwodDpMbg

BW posted some pictures on Facebook. Can't see Probyn and Paul in them. Were they there? (judging from the saxophones in one picture I guess Paul was...)

Did Al sing Wouldn't It Be Nice?

Probyn was there.

... and Bruce Jardine, too! Picture from Brian's Facebook page:

(http://oi58.tinypic.com/2emfy81.jpg)

Well, it was a soundcheck pic. At the Philly C50 soundcheck, quite a few guys were in shorts and other relaxed attire.

That's really interesting that Chad from the Fendertones played with Brian.

The for the uninitiated, he's the one on the left doing falsetto in this video (in the plaid shirt).

I support it. And I think it's really cool that multiple factions of The Beach Boys are embracing The Fendertones.

God Only Knows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2PwodDpMbg

Setlist is up on setlist.fm

If I'm a paying customer, I'd much rather see a familiar voice (and face) up there to sing the high parts. Bring back Matt.

If I'm a paying customer, I want to hear the best possible performances whether the singers and players are familiar, family, or total strangers.

I feel like this whole situation is as simple as Matt couldn't make the gig last minute and that's it

Me, I'm interested in hearing Brian, and everybody else is superfluous.

I sure hope this is the case because I was really excited to learn that Matt had joined the BW band, and that Foskett had left. And I don't know, it slightly bothers me that there's another guy from a tribute band playing with them. Reminds me of a bunch of the goofs who played with Jan & Dean and Mike's band. All the guys from Papa Doo Run Run and all that. It almost seemed like it was like a farm system. First you start in Papa Doo Run Run or the Endless Summer Surf City Rock 'n Roll Dudes, then you move to Jan & Dean, and then whenever The Beach Boys would lose another long time member, you'd be the new faceless jackass to jump in. You know the names - Randell Kirsch, Chris Farmer, whoever. Who was the jerk-off who smoked cigars on stage? Yuck.

*Yes I know Matt Jardine is also in a Beach Boys tribute group. However, his dad is a guy named Alan Jardine, and he was about as close to being an official Beach Boy as one could be in the '90s, so I'd say he is more than worthy to be there.

Um... one of those faceless jackasses played in Family & Friends for long enough to end up on the live CD.  :)

Geez. Have you ever seen a performance of The Fendertones? Every one of those guys has earned the right to play with the big man himself. Besides - as others have already stated - this is probably just a temporary replacement. I'm happy for Chad Odhner.

I wouldn't refer to Randall or Chris as 'jackasses', personally.

For those of you worried about Matt being replaced by "a jackass", BW's facebook called him a guest vocalist, so he was only subbing for Matt Jardine that night.

Brian always sounds great on God Only Knows.

Chad sounded a bit pitchy on the falsetto, but it was his first show.

Is it really possible that no one in Brian's band can handle falsetto?

I think it sounded a bit weak, personally. He was clipping his notes too...how did he sound on the rest of the show?


Edit


Was referring to Brian on GoK.

I'm surprised anyone cares about the activities of Chad...maybe he'll guest a few more shows max, but most likely this was a one time thing.

Jeez some of the comments are tough. Heres a young guy given a gig of a life time trying to pull off a vocal from almost 50 years ago on probably Brians greatest work. He did ok considering.

The new album has young female guest singers as well. I think it injects a bit of variety myself, and stops the music getting stale.

Personally, I'm interested in the songs being done right. Brian can't always do that, so yes, I am interested that the back up people can sing them well. We love that Brian put together a band musically that can recreate the sound. Just as important that they can do that vocally, as well.

Yeah, "jackass" is a little extreme. If they were jerks, then I think it would be OK. But they're good musicians and singers, they're nice guys personally, and they're dedicated, otherwise they wouldn't be up on stage with the Big Boys.

I've seen the term "hack" used too, and I cringe a little bit. Yeah, they're not original band members, but they worked hard to get where they are. Hey, anybody that helps to spread the word of Brian is OK.

That said, where in the hell is Matt?

I totally believe this when I say it: EVERYONE who is currently touring with Mike/Bruce, Al, Brian, or David deserves to be there, and is far from a hack.  Yes, they sometimes go back and forth between bands, but they have to make a living too.  And just because they didn't grow up with the actual Beach Boys themselves doesn't discount their level of talent.

Randell Kirsch is a great guy and a great talent, and very very humble.  Super down to earth whenever I chat with him.  He usually remembers me from previous years that I met him, and I was always impressed with that.  Great falsetto too!  It must have taken a lot of humility to lose a lot of his leads to Christian and to Jeff, but he seems content to just tour with the guys.

Chris Farmer is a great talent as well, and his voice is sorely missed. 

Jeff Foskett has always been a gentleman whenever I met him, and has been an enormous support to Brian over the years.

Matt Jardine has always been really cool in person, and has a killer falsetto as well.  I saw him at a show where no Beach Boys were present (I forget the name of the band).  He was totally not above leading a hula hoop contest with the kids, singing lead and falsetto on I Get Around, etc.  He was super complimentary toward my friend about a picture of Al that he took, and even showed it to Al.

Scott Totten is a relative newcomer to the Beach Boys world in comparison to others, but he has totally embraced the music and has a commitment to being true to the original record.  He is also super friendly with fans, including myself.

I could go on...but suffice it to say, these guys are far from jerks and hacks.

Well said, Eric!

From the BW site. Curt Lambert post.

Matt Jardine was not there, but Chad from the Fendertones was. Brian introduced him as "Chad, who joined the band today!" I talked with his brother, also in the Fendertones and the rest of the "tones" who were seated just across the aisle from me. They were a cheering section for Chad, Brian and Al. We had a lot of fun together rockin' out. They said Chad got the call that morning and they didn't know what the future held for Chad appearing at other concerts on this short tour. He did a wonderful job. Falsetto parts and leads on "Don't Worry Baby" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Brian was singing some falsetto bg harmony on WIBN, which I had never seen him do before, as well as the bridge, "and maybe if we hope and pray...".

I badly want to hear this.

My apologies for not recognizing Chad.  He really did a fine job, I meant no disrespect by referring to him as "some guy" - I just didn't recognize him, having only seen a few Fendertones videos.

It is so cool when folks apologize for not knowing something they didn't know. 

This really is becoming a page of bullies.

To anyone not happy with the inclusion of Chad: Who, in the absence of Matt, would have a been a better replacement?

Just try to imagine: WHAT IF Adrian Baker had gotten that phone call:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4l4aqDeR18

...Chad was a good choice

Bruce Johnston.

Disagree about Bruce, in that it would require him to do more than he has in over a decade, aside from the C50 tour.

@Woodstock...yikes. I'd rather stab myself in the ear with a rusty screw driver than hear Baker's voice ever again.

Click the link. You know you want to.

Not near as baaaad as he could have been.

wow

You're welcome  8)

One good turn deserves another. I'll see your 100 and raise 50... :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHkmuU-MsM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHkmuU-MsM)

Back on topic, I'd like to hear that Brian singing falsetto clip too, if it should become available. Wonder what happened to Matt Jardine? Kind of a neat R&R fantasy kind of story, though, to have a guy get a call on such short notice to play a Brian Wilson show who had been doing the tribute/nostalgia/cover gig.

sh*t, if BW needs a fill-in guitarist or bassist give me a call.  :lol

Oh god I abolutely hate this song SO MUCH that I love it. This one is fun to play really loudly with other people around - things get real uncomfortable real quick.

I didn't want to have to do this but...I'm going all in.
http://youtu.be/EfmH2wHTQZ8?t=50s

Shoot sorry I won't derail this thread with Mike Love any further...

I'd like to see more clips of last nights show to hear how Chad did - he's sounded superb in every Fendertones video I've watched.

Fold. I'm cashing out, I don't play cards with a guy who's keeping an ace tucked up his sleeve like that.  ;D

SheeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeery Bay-yay-by.

Adrian Baker vs Mike Love - a battle of ear-bleeding proportions.

A match made in...(fill in the blank)

and yet... that piece of dung would be a highlight on "Looking Back With Love"   :o

I'd actually really like to have been in the studio the day when they got the final mix of that tune locked in, just to see the reactions around the room. I'm thinking one of them may have been Baker and Mike high-fiving one another, saying the 80's equivalent of "BOO-YAH!".

After the playback of the final mix:

Mike: How did you like it Adrian?
*Adrian spreads his wings and flies 10 feet across to room to perch on Mike's shoulder*
Adrian: It was amazing. YOU are amazing.
Mike: Very nice. Thank you Adrian.
*Mike feeds Adrian a cracker, Adrian growls affectionately*

I think Bruce can still do the wordless and single note falsetto's fine, but he couldn't fill that role...not by himself anyway. Maybe if there were TWO Bruce Johnstons, we'd be talkin'.

When was the last time we heard a live song featuring a lot of Bruce falsetto? Fun Fun Fun don't count...

Help Me Rhonda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlMrzxdL6eA

...followed by the chaotic scene of a group of assistant engineers and studio interns desperately trying to restrain the lead engineer who suddenly lunged at the tape machine with a hammer in one hand and a razor blade in the other, yelling repeatedly "My ears! My ears!"

Al sang the hell out of that one. Very cool.

"Adrian, FLY!" Mike yelled.
Adrian knew the moment the engineer's eyes went blood red from the internal explosion of his eardrums that it was time to flee - this wasn't the first time this had happened.

Adrian kicked out one of the windows of the studio, and with one strong flap of his wings, he and the singer were brought to the safety Mike's motorcycle. Adrian got in the sidecar and they road away.

:lol

The guy on the right needs a guitar in his hands or something.  And if he's the guy doing the high part, he ain't bad.

He's just pullin' a Brooth
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymM1w8iDXVY/S5gKLOcqmnI/AAAAAAAACzk/X3NxbSbjhxE/s640/BeachBoys-LiveLondon-F%231.jpg)

Noble Brooth didn't need a guitar - just his stache, his voice and his rock and roll personality.

Chad sounded good on Rhonda. Amazing that he was able to pull it off after hearing that day. There's not way that Chad's family or friends weren't taping the whole show. Let's see some videos!

Al certainly does still sound superb on Rhonda.

So cool... :-D For a long-time admirer of the Fendertones' work, this is great to see. I hope some better videos pop up soon.

Help Me, Rhonda and I Get Around in one vid:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Deh8t9AUE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Deh8t9AUE)

I Get Around decidedly ropey. Understandably perhaps.

To me the amazing thing about this is that Dennis stayed behind the drums and played on it. If there was ever a song for him to take a break on, you'd think this was it.

Mike makes that song his own, as nobody else could or would even try, I'm guessing. 
BUT they had to work on it as the instruments and backing vocals are there, SO, presuming it was Mike's idea to do the song, WHY would the rest of the band agree? 

Brian in one of his "on" days.

I'd like to hear more about why Matt Jardine wasn't performing on Monday. I guess sh*t happens, and it's possible that he got sick or had something come up last minute, but I kind of feel bad for the folks that went and paid top dollar to see Brian.

It seems like Chad did a good job given the circumstances, but based on hearing God Only Knows and I Get Around, the vocals weren't what I've come to expect from seeing a Brian Wilson show.

Hopefully this gets sorted out in the future, and they won't have to give Chad less than a days notice before taking the stage. I think he's proven during with his work with The Fendertones that he deserves a spot on stage.

It's also more likely for "regular" band members to miss gigs (whether planned or last minute) when they're essentially one-off gigs like this. This was the only gig between the two July gigs and the gig at the end of September (unless they schedule something in the interim).

Brian kind of sounds bored on GoK and IGA :(

The closing 3 numbers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDWw-7Vhm5c

The band sound great as always.

The vocals not so much.

Pretty admiral job to step in like that at the last minute.  From what I've read Chad charted out a lot of the arrangements for the Fendertones so he's obviously a huge fan and familiar with the material, but I imagine they probably did some things the Fendertones haven't performed.

Also jumping in and singing falsetto for 2 hours when you're not in vocal shape to do that is very tough.

Those vocals.

I mean, golly, if I never hear that clip of GOK again, it will be too soon.

Chad was alright.  I suppose Matt couldn't make it, and without the falsetto, what would this material be, you know?  So good on Chad for stepping up and helping to make the gig happen!

I musta missed something. Doesn't Chad sing falsetto in the Fendertones? If he's not in vocal shape.........I mean.......how often do they do gigs, once a year?

I always thought the Fendertones sounded good but there was something else going on with their video I have seen on You tube.<not as bad as Jennifer Lopez>I may not be able to listen to Music for a while after Hearing Imagine<which I disliked before hearing Mr Loves version> or IGA .

Chad's falsetto as a replacement for Brian kind of reminds me of Bruce's falsetto early on in the live BBs. It's a gentler approach compared to somebody like Jeff Foskett.

Suits my ears!

Imagine picking up the phone that morning and getting asked to stand in with 2 original Beach Boys on stage that evening?

No pressure. :thud

That is a good point. At least it was somewhat low-key for such an eventuality. It was in Indio, CA, and a one-off show. This wasn't at Radio City Music Hall in the middle of a full-blown tour or something.

I definitely would have been bummed if I had gone and Matt wasn't there. But yeah, there are a million understandable reasons why he wouldn't be able to make it. Hopefully he's still "in the band."

I'm surprised, though, that they didn't work the setlist around Matt's absence. They still did "Don't Worry Baby." They must have felt the guy had enough vocal chops to do it. Otherwise, I would think it would have been easier to just switch that out for some other song for Brian or Al to sing.

Hopefully the band will get to do something resembling a "full tour", so they can evolve the setlist. As I mentioned in my blog, Brian's band is a bit like Al's band has been over the past decade or more in that when you do one-off shows and never regularly tour, you have to rely on your "standard" setlist. Thankfully, Brian's "standard" setlist still has some interesting stuff (e.g. Marcella, Cottonfields, Pet Sounds, Heroes and Villains, etc.), but hopefully they'll get a chance to pull more interesting stuff out on later dates.

Who is between Scott & Darien on Rhonda?

Gary Griffin? I think so. Have to check the video again..

[snigger...]

Navy he meant admirable?

Sam Goldwyn invariably referred to a certain movie he produced as The Admiral Crighton.   :lol

Good Vibrations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re01WuP4mIg

(only the last minute & a half...)

Gah...another clip where Brian is not audible :(

I think Chad did pretty good under the circumstances.

Haven't watch it yet, but here's about 40 minutes of video of the show:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6icEVRP8EJo

Thanks for sharing.  Chad doesn't sound bad at all (when he's audible).  The entire band is a little rough around the edges, though, but considering they hadn't played a show in a while it's understandable.

Brian sounded like had a major off night for him.

No falsetto harmony on WIBN....

They really should cut Dance, Dance, Dance from the set list as Brian really struggles with it.

Chad sounds rather like Adrian Baker.

Nah, he's way better than Baker.

.

Yeah, no comparison. I think Chad did great!

I actually didn`t expect anyone to agree.  :)

I can`t believe that Al didn`t go back to singing Wouldn`t it be Nice though...

I just realized earlier today that there was no solo material performed at this show. Is this a first? Usually, even during the greatest hits shows in the past, there would always be at least a couple of solo songs performed (love & mercy, your imagination). Here, it's 30 Beach Boys songs, abs the newest song is Sail On Sailor.

No wonder Brian seemed bored.

Doesn't Brian have any say regarding the setlist? Couldn't HE CHOOSE to do solo material? That would be a good question to ask on his Facebook page. On second thought, maybe not...

Yes and yes.

That`s the way it was for the 2 summer shows in England and Ireland too.

Brian did "Your Imagination" and "Goin' Home" with Al and Dave at some of last summer's gigs.

So he says the band is better than the Beach Boys and he played only Beach Boys songs last week.

ehhh...Right. Got it. ::)

I believe he meant his band is made up of better musician's than Mike's "Beach Boys", indicating that they'll be able to perform the BB songs better than Mike's band.

Definitely true!

Who drummed on the C50 tour ?

Are you saying Mike's drummer is better than Brian's? Because that doesn't really have anything to do with which band has better musicians on the whole (Brian's).
But kudos to Mike for winning the "best beach boys drummer" contest.

Sounds like he's suggesting that Stamos is better than Mike D'Amico... ;D

Well Brian's Dad can beat up Mikes<oh wait a second they aren't in first grade> :p.<lol>  I think at this point both bands usually put on a pretty good show.< which I would have never said 10 years ago>

That was a nice thing for Brian to say, as he continues to accept the checks that keep comin' in from the outstanding performances of that other band. Swell guy....

Ignoring that it's something Brian has said before, and will again, and doubtless doesn't really mean it, hardly a level playing field. Mike's band has seven members, Brian's has eleven.

Mike's band has a thin sound compared to BW's wall of sound extravaganza.

Sure, but getting right to the heart of that, even conceding that Mike wrote a lot of lyrics, people don't go out in huge numbers to see poetry readings; without Brian's music...

Mike should do poetry of his BBs lyrics at a local poetry night. ;)

How about this...Should Mike stop accepting checks from TSS or TWGMTR? He's openly criticized both projects.

What I meant is despite Brian having had more or less the same group for all these years touring his solo albums he plays safe and plays his old groups songs. I don't have a problem with that but find it disrespectful when he does the 'my bands better' line. Given the age and experience of the group in the 60's of course his band now is better, and so they should be.

If he had the same group of musicians in their teens recording and touring constantly as the Beach Boys did I suspect they would not sound as great as the seasoned group we have today.

Bottom line I guess is he should play all the 'hits' that his 'better' group has had shouldn't he. ;)

And based on Mike's own comments about the composition of a touring band, it is Mike's choice and preference to have a smaller backing band. He has said C50 had too many players "competing for parts." So not that it matters terribly, but it's a very level playing field in that the leaders of the respective bands have chosen the size and composition of their respective backing bands. It would be different if Mike were indicating that he wishes he could have a more robust backing band but can't afford it or something.

That "other band" tours using a trademark that Brian co-owns, and wouldn't have gigs were it not for Brian not only obviously existing in the first place, but allowing that band to use that trademark. As one of the trademark holders, Brian is entitled to that check.

As discussed at relative length on other threads, it's debatable how large of a sum that license fee yields Brian, and it's certainly not as high of a figure as I think some folks might be assuming. In short, the guys in that band touring under the trademark need Brian's trademark more than Brian needs them, or anyone, touring under the name.

To say nothing of, yes, get ready for my grand "Re-Tread" of a worn topic, the fact that in late 2012 Brian wanted to continue touring with all the guys. For some time in at least 2012, Brian didn't want to just sit on his ass and collect licensing fees from the licensed version of the BB's.

Maybe Brian feels his band gets closer to the sound he intended than the touring band does. During C50, the musical directors were talking about discovering things in the music they didn't realize was there until they pooled their efforts.

But, yeah. I don't get the whole "Brian's lazy and just sits on his butt collecting from the fruits of Mike's labor" bit.  Brian already did the work that produced the hit songs which in turn created the popular brand name that draws the crowds for Mike's shows. It's the nature of the industry that he can continue to collect on the use of the above. And, yes. Mike wrote the lyrics. But, lyrics alone don't make a song so you can argue that Mike benefits from the fruits of Brian's long hours in the studio 40-50 years ago. Both men's contributions make the Beach Boys what they are. If Mike wants to tour on his own without the benefit of Brian's work, he can do so; but I don't expect sell out crowds for "Looking Back With Love--Live!"

Brian is entitled to whatever compensation he gets. And, as HeyJude pointed out, he was ready to go on the road as a Beach Boy again in 2012.

Isn`t that just a euphemism for them being too expensive though?  :)

I would say most likely. We can obviously only guess. It’s a very convenient “preference”; to feel that a larger (more expensive) band is not preferable in an artistic/musical sense. Other than the obvious, that stuff like “Shut Down” or “409” doesn’t require a dozen musicians/singers, I can’t think of much of anybody that would say it hurts to have more musicians and singers at their disposal, especially when they are very good at what they do. Yes, I’ve seen a few folks here say they like the “leaner” sound of Mike’s band. I’m the first to agree that some stuff sounds overcrowded if too many singers and musicians are added. But in the grand scheme, this rarely presents an actual problem at Brian or C50 shows, and the benefit is huge (mid-late 60’s material, etc.). The pros hugely outweigh the cons musically. If you don’t need a certain singer or musician on a specific track, they can just shake a tambourine or take a break for a song. The only adornment on Brian’s show that I don’t care for is some isolated cases where they use too much saxophone or other woodwinds from Mertens. I don’t like it when they use the sax as a bass instrument on stuff like “This Whole World” for instance.

But to my previous point, if Brian is willing to pay out for a larger backing band, then it isn’t an unfair comparison to make when comparing that to another band (e.g. Mike’s) if Mike is either unwilling (too expensive) or prefers not (for musical reasons) to have such a large backing band.

Listening to the YouTube videos, I do prefer this Fendertone guy's falsetto over Jeff's. Please note this statement contains no innuendo or insinuation about their respective character qualities.