The Smiley Smile Message Board

I'll be there! Anybody else?

Yes, front row. My fourth and final show of the tour

Cool! Well, I'll be reporting back at some point -- if not Friday, then on Saturday.

Hoping for a great show.

Breaking news: they are running thru Pet Sounds at soundcheck. Also Rain. Long story.

Dude.

...The Beatles' Rain?

More an impromptu band jam. Totten was not pleased.

But Pet Sounds was part of the plan?

Yes. Dave didn't make the first batch of VIP pix because he was working with the band onstage.

I can see that.  Great musician, but he really runs a tight ship up there.  He definitely takes the job very seriously.

I'd love one or two instrumental tracks to show off David's guitar playing. I'd love to hear "Surf jam" for example.

This was on the day of my birthday, how come i didn't recieved free tickets? come on The Beach Boys now :(

Pet Sounds debuted tonight. Opened second set, just Dave and the band. PS live style.

*gasp*

Awesome!!

I remember thinking they might do something like this, especially since I figured they'd be doing long shows and would want a longer break.

Hopefully they are still doing "Add Some Music" as well to open the second set with the full BB band.

Sad bits -- no This Whole World, Marcella, Darlin or Disney Girls.

However, Dave on Pet Sounds! And Brian gave Dave a part on Add Some Music, too. Dave sang Getcha Back, Mike took back Hawaii. A very Dave-featured show, which was cool.

Brian was a bit space cadet-like, but knocked several of his leads out of the park. Sail on Sailor was awesome. And Do You Wanna Dance returned. No Walusko.

Anyway, much more to tell but I only have an iPad at present and typing on it is unpleasant. I will answer any other questions, though.

Ah Pet Sounds is cool, but not worth the tradeoff of the other 4 . I am going tomorrow night in Saratoga and was really looking forward to hearing Darlin. I hope it's back in tomorrow night.

The mandatory Shady question, how was the attendance?

I can live without Darlin', but no Marcella? Say it ain't so! I hope they get it back in there tomorrow! Its Bubba's big night!

Also, no It's OK. Seems like they felt the set list was getting a little out of hand, and this was a pretty meat and potatoes crowd, as Carl would say. (Though they did love Brian.)

Looked like a sellout crowd to me. Pretty close at least. They might have had problems selling VIP ackages -- lots of radio contest winners sitting around me in the front rows.

Isn't It Time was rather a dud, I hate to say. Brian is indeed doubled by Jeff, but then a couple of other people have come in too. The added instruments in the chorus were a little too randomly arranged for my tastes.

Interesting point -- Brian missed beginnings to lines a few places (as he does), but the one who made the biggest mistakes was Mike, who didn't sing opening lines in California and notably messed up lyrics in a couple of other tunes. Foskett was making fun of him.

Unexpected surprise -- Why Do Fools Fall in Love was magical. A transcendent experience. With Totten and Foskett singing a unison lead.

Pretty wonderful to hear they opened the second set with Pet Sounds with Marks! Video, anybody?

Aww I hope Darlin' finds itself back in the setlist, as well as This Whole World for tonight's show!

Marcella should never be taken off of the setlist.

Great report, Wirestone.

It's interesting how they still haven't managed a definite live version of the new songs. I think this may have to do with the fragmented way they learned them / recorded them.

Could you confirm if Dave played the lead on PS?

So this was on the day of my birthday and they even played Pet Sounds ? way to make me feel even more sad d00d :(

Life is hard, my friend.
I suggest you get drunk to Beaches in Mind and weep.

Sadly, my last show on the tour, but a great way to go out. I will post my VIP experience in that thread. I was front row and ended up sitting next to a fellow Smiley Smiler (Will C). It's great to enjoy a show with a fellow hard core nerd. I don't have a set list but Wirestone pretty much covered the differences in songs. Not sure if anyone mentioned but they did do Ballard of Ole Betsy. Pet Sounds caught everyone by surprise opening the second set. I'm kicking myself for not getting video of it but by the time I figured out what was going on I was just caught up in the music. Dave all alone out in front of the band...very cool.
Brian was so so but I thought Sail on Sailor and IJWMFTT were excellent and so did the crowd.

During Rock N Roll Music some jackass walked up to the stage and put a gigantic white moth on the stage (the thing was the size of a parakeet) and this threw Mike off so much he repeated the same verse twice.

All in all, a fantastic night and I even got Bruce and Mike to sign my Sunflower album at the end of the show. As a fitting end to my 4 show odyssey, I was at the end of my 2 1/2 hour ride home and  as I was about a mile from my exit, who should I come upon but the Beach Boys tour bus rolling south. I beeped and waved as I pulled off my exit and the bus flashed it's lights at me.

PS: As exiting as it was to see Pet Sounds make it's premiere, the real news was that they were giving away free packages of TWGMTR sunscreen wipes at the merchandise table.

Need pictures of the moth. ;D

:'(

We get it.  It was your birthday.

jeez, they drop darlin, This Whole World and Marcella and bring back Betsy? That's disapointing.

Happy birthday anyway !



Facebook:

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It really is.  Key songs to be played.  Those who saw/heard all three were lucky.  I STILL wanted to hear Darlin' at the concert I went to but got the other two. Beggars can't be choosers! Maybe someday somebody will compile a 'montage' DVD of all of the songs they've done on this tour.

That wasn't really the point of my message, but hey if that's how you wanna take it, glad you know it was my birthday beeyotch!


But thanks to Rocker, a far less annoying fella! take care d00d :)


I was surprised by the fact they added Pet Sounds but in the end, if they dropped Darlin' and all the rest.. i guess i didn't miss that much, teehee.

Mike Love is afraid of moths?  Ha!  Though I'd be shocked by a moth the size of a parakeet, too.

Ok, so we need Pet Sounds AND The Moth Incident on youtube, stat!

Mine too.  Happy birthday Ziggy.  Actually I did receive a free ticket - from my wife - but on May 27 for the show here in Las Vegas.

Hahaha, how awesome! hope you had good fun, happy birthday to you bro ;)

Here's the setlist (although I'm having to add in Betsy -- no question they played it, but the poster at setlist.fm didn't include it). I kept my own notes for the soundcheck.

Soundcheck:

Band only:

1. Do It Again
2. Kiss Me Baby

With principals:

3. Rain (Beatles cover) -> Mike improv
4. Wendy
5. Getcha Back
6. And Then I Kissed Her
7. Please Let Me Wonder
8. Don't Back Down -> Surfin' Safari
9. Surfer Girl ending

Dave and band practice:

10. Pet Sounds

--------------------------------------------------

Set one:

1. Do It Again (Mike / Brian and Jeff)
2. Little Honda (Mike)
3. Catch a Wave (Mike / Jeff)
4. Hawaii (Mike / Jeff)
5. Don't Back Down (Mike / Jeff)
6. Surfin' Safari (Mike)
7. Surfer Girl (Group / Brian)
8. Wendy (Bruce)
9. Then I Kissed Her (Al)
10. Kiss Me, Baby (Mike and Brian / Jeff)
11. Getcha Back (Dave on both Mike and Brian parts)
12. Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Jeff and Scott T.)
13. When I Grow Up (to Be a Man) (Mike)
14. Please Let Me Wonder (Brian)
15. Isn't It Time (Brian and Jeff / Bruce / Al / Mike)
16. California Saga: California (Mike / Al / Brian on intro)
17. Cotton Fields (Al)
18. Be True to Your School (Mike)
19. Ballad of Ol' Betsy (Scott T -- this either came here or one spot earlier)
20. Don't Worry Baby (Jeff)
21. Little Deuce Coupe (Mike)
22. 409 (Mike)
23. Shut Down (Mike)
24. I Get Around (Mike / Jeff)

Set two:

25. Pet Sounds (Dave)
26. Add Some Music to Your Day (Group)
27. Heroes and Villains (Brian)
28. Sloop John B (Brian / Mike)
29. Wouldn't It Be Nice (Al and Jeff)
30. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (Brian / Al on tag)
31. Sail on, Sailor (Brian)
32. All This Is That (Mike / Al / Brian and Darian / Jeff)
33. That's Why God Made the Radio (Brian / Al / Group)
34. In My Room (Brian / Group)
35. Forever (Dennis)
36. God Only Knows (Carl)
37. Good Vibrations (Brian and Jeff / Mike)
38. California Girls (Mike)
39. All Summer Long (Group / Mike)
40. Help Me, Rhonda (Al)
41. Rock n Roll Music (Mike)
42. Do You Wanna Dance? (Brian)
43. Surfin' USA (Mike)

Encores:

44. Kokomo (Mike / Jeff)
45. Barbara Ann (Mike / Group)
46. Fun, Fun, Fun (Group)

Some reflections, now that I'm back at a keyboard. (Please excuse a teensy bit of reconstruction work here -- not all of my quotes are direct, although they're pretty close.)

I drove up from New Hampshire, which was some four hours. A long stretch, and I was worried about getting there in time for the VIP "experience." I needn't have worried. I was there at 5 and the band buses pulled in around 5:10. The backing guys started rehearsing on their own -- and then the heavens burst open. We were all forced under tents for about 10 minutes as it rained buckets.

Soundcheck (officially defined as when the five big guys showed up) ended up starting a little after 6, likely later than they hoped. We went through the backstage area on the way, which was pretty cruddy -- as an outdoor venue, it was all simply big trucks and trailers with pieces of paper stuck to the doors. I also spotted what looked like one of the backing band members having a temper tantrum, but I shan't name names.

On our way through this "backstage" maze, Bruce joined up with the group and said hello, singing "It Never Rains in Southern California" and joking with some of the older ladies. I'm not sure if they knew he was a Beach Boy or simply an enthusiastic elderly gay gentleman.

When we took our seats (folding chairs on a giant lawn space), all the guys were onstage, and things were pretty rough. The sound was way too loud, and it was still raining. Brian was motionless behind the piano, his eyes wide open and darting back and forth. Mike was waving to some people but looking a little like dad before he's had his morning coffee. Al and Bruce were jovial. Dave was talking to the band members about getting a "Pet Sounds" sound on his guitar. We'll see the payoff to that later.

Things started with joking about the rain, and John Cowsill started into Ringo's distinctive drum part from that Beatles track. Nelson joined in. Mike stepped up to the microphone and sang some nonsense lyrics to a different melody (I doubt he recognized what the guys were playing). Totten called things to order -- and that man is a taskmaster. Looking at my soundcheck list, it seems clear that they simply ran through a song for each of the guys to warm up their voices. Scott called the songs; there was no back-and-forth or consultation.

Toward the end, they worked on the closing bits of Surfer Girl. It became clear that Brian had been unhappy with it (the place where the drums kick right before the fade), because after they did it a couple of times, Scott looked over at Brian, and Brian said something along the lines of "That's good, Scott," or "That's better."

It was then time for pictures, with Dave remaining behind to work on "Pet Sounds," which he played through twice with the band. We circled around for pictures with the guys, and this has all been chewed over in earlier threads, but it was indeed quick. Mary Ann trying to fix Al's hair was funny. He told her, "Mary Ann, these people are waiting out in the rain!" while gesturing at us and shooing her away.  "You'll regret it!" she said as she went back to the trailer.

Brian was very comfortable. Not talking much, but not agitated either. He did slap a mosquito at some point and say "GODDAMMIT! Why are there all these BUGS?" He was very good about smiling beautifully as the picture was taken, then dropping it the instant the photo was done. Mike was very nice -- I had my hand on his shoulder as our picture was taken. I told them all, "Thanks so much, guys," and Mike replied, "you're welcome." Very sweet.

And that was that. Time for the show. And I'll have to write about that in another post, because this one is going on way too long. Here's the picture, by the way:

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/556205_10150856345956895_1798477336_n.jpg)

Very nice Wirestone.

Onto the show itself.

The sound was astonishingly good. After the boomy, painful soundcheck, I was expecting the worst. But I was in the third row and able to go through the entire concert without pain. My ears weren't even ringing afterward! The sound had a great, largely distortion-free high end (a real rarity for live shows) and intense bass. Almost audiophile quality.

Everyone's vocals were excellent. Mike was great out of the gate. Al was Al -- he nails everything. It was great to hear Dave do a lot more singing. He's a good choice for "Getcha Back," and it's fun to have him do some Dennis-style lines in "Add Some Music." Brian was a real surprise -- at his solo shows, you can often figure out the quality of his singing from his level of engagement. He seemed more withdrawn on Friday, so I was expecting a subpar effort. Yet when he did sing, it was marvelous. Easily as good as any of his solo shows, and better than most. On pitch, engaged -- just fabulous all around. The songs where he didn't do well were those where he was doubled, and it just seemed like he wasn't as interested when two or three voices were going along with his. I didn't hear much from Bruce, sadly. Jeff was okay, although not as good as he's been in the past.

The only real criticism I have is that the video screen is really terrible. I applaud the effort, but it looks like someone slapped it together on PowerPoint the night before the tour started. Amateurish. And it's a shame, because everything else is so top-notch.

I can't say enough about Cowsill. That man is a real rock drummer. It makes such a difference on those tunes -- I've seen Brian with Hines, Bennett and D'Amico, but no one has caught my ear the way Cowsill did. He's great, and he and Nelson seem to really work together well.

What shocked me most was just how great it all was. The backing band, well, we could expect that. But the main guys are all working their asses off up there, and it shows. The harmonies are spot on. Lots of little a capella bits, all stunning. Mike is a funny, engaging, compelling front man. Al is the erstwhile sidekick, who really sounds like he beamed in from 1965. Bruce's engagement with the audience -- silly when taken out of context -- works when you're actually there. Brian, who I had expected to be the vocal weak link, is every bit the other guys' equal when he got fired up for IJWMFTT and "Sail On Sailor." Every now and then he would look out to the audience and get this childlike smile on his face. Very cute.

I think there's a great deal to be learned about performers and bands from watching them in different contexts. I've seen Brian at big, important shows where he had lots of family in attendance, and at small, slapped-together summer shows. And to see the Beach Boys in Bangor, Maine (a concert I'm fairly certain they played only because they had done a couple of Canadian dates and it was on the way to their next shows) was instructive. They were loose. They enjoyed one another. If there was any tension onstage, I didn't see it.

A lot of things change as people age, and one of them is that things that once seemed important -- things that once divided us -- seem a lot less critical. I looked at that stage, and I saw guys who were willing to forgive and work together to do these shows, and have found themselves enjoying the music once again. When the Carl and Dennis tributes played, I of course watched Brian, because everyone said he gets emotional. He may have, although I didn't see anything. But what I did see was Bruce watch the Dennis film for awhile, back to the audience, not singing or playing. Very quiet. And when the Carl tribute played, Mike and Al walked toward the screen, again with backs toward the audience, and watched Carl up there. They exchanged a few words. And then they turned back to sing.

All of these guys knew Carl and Dennis. Not just Brian. And they all, for that time, seemed to be remembering them in a really powerful way. (Brian, on the other hand, after the Dennis tribute, spoke up really loudly: "My teleprompter MESSED UP! It's showing the WRONG SONG!")

Dave on Pet Sounds was mesmerizing. What a way to start the second set. D'Amico on drums, and Totten on the riser with the rest of the band. Most of the stage dark, with blue spotlights. An amazing few minutes of music.

Likewise, another highlight was WDFFiL, with Jeff and Totten wailing away, lots of a cappella bits, and an orchestral pop-rock backing. It brought the house down, and it's not even really a hit. But the performance was amazing. Let me tell you -- when an instrumental and a doo wop cover are some of your musical highlights, it's obvious that the music and arrangements are the real stars of the show. As they should be for any Beach Boys appearance.

After the show was over, people were milling around by the stage. I looked up, and I saw Mike. He was standing in the wings, looking over some speakers at the departing crowd. He wasn't smiling or frowning. He stood there silently, watching the thousands of people exit. He clearly didn't think anyone could see him, although he was pretty visible. He just stood there, watching.

Video from Bangor has popped up. I didn't shoot any of this -- it's just documentation from varied sources.

"Do It Again"

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/06/22/news/bangor/fun-fun-fun-as-the-beach-boys-play-bangor/

"Little Honda" / "Catch a Wave"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU39Jra-jVE

"Surfin' Safari"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS8oJx4FWaA

"I Get Around"

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

Thanks Wirestone for the excellent, beautiful report.
Wish I had been there!

""My teleprompter MESSED UP! It's showing the WRONG SONG!")

So that's what Brian yelled out....I couldn't make it out. Classic Brian  :-D

Hahahahahhahha

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Review with video of Do It Again !! It's great everytime to see how great they sound and then compare it to the Fan Fair '96 version which then sounds like a band of seniors going to die right there on stage.
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/06/22/news/bangor/fun-fun-fun-as-the-beach-boys-play-bangor/


All of these come from facebook and were posted on the site of the venue:

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More to come.....

:lol :lol

Thanks for the report!

....continued

Finally Bruce wore a shirt that you can actually look on without throwing up !

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Must. See. Moth.

I going friday to the Darien Lake concert. Have my meet and greet. I have not heard from VIP yet nation re arrival time etc. Sorry to hear Marcella off the set list. and Disney Girls.

jet without wings

Thanks Wirestone for the report. and a terrific photo.

Rockers photos also very good. I'd say Bruce should lose the cap. He has great hair.

jet without wings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIYnDwikOG0