The Smiley Smile Message Board

Just updated 10452 a tad, and for them as worry about these things, since 12/23/61 to last night, a band billed as "The Beach Boys" has played 5,642 shows (± 15-20), roughly 106 per year. They've played in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada and the following 38 overseas markets:

Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Caribbean
Chile
Czechoslovakia
Denmark
England
Finland
France
Germany
Guam
Hong Kong
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Luxemburg
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Norway
Peru
Philippines
Portugal
Scotland
Singapore
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Uruguay
Wales

I see eyes glazing over and jaws beginning to droop. I'll stop now.

Nah Andrew it's fascinating stuff and certainly the Beach Boys accomplishments over the years deserve to be documented as thoroughly as possible.  Thanks to guys like yourself for doing it and cheers for the great site.  ;D

Stats! I loves Stats!

Thanks a million, LAGD, heading over to 10452 stat!

+1, mikeddonn's comments

  Those are some amazing stats. So Mike has sung "Surfin' USA" probably 5,500 times or so in a live setting. (Being the front man for The Beach Boys for over 50 years is a great job but not an easy one.)

  Wonder how many shows The Rolling Stones have performed since 1963?


  Elvis played approximately 1100 shows (usually a dinner and midnight show in Vegas) from 1969-77. What was initially invigorating became a death march. Mike Love is one tough hombre.

For all the snarky comments that get made about Sea World shows, part of what's so impressive about the continued touring of the Beach Boys band is the fact that they keep on touring just about everywhere they can instead of settling for the same venue over and over.  But have they really never played in Burkina Faso before?

  Mike has missed some shows here and there (spring 1970, early 90's minor illness) but he has truly been the constant as far as the touring group goes. I commend Mike for his intestinal fortitude in getting the music to the masses these past 52 years of Endless Summers. (Jagger would not have survived LOL)

This is a complete top of the head figure, but I think Mike's missed less than 30 shows since 1961.

Actually, weren't some of the shows in 1990 missed by Mike due to him being on tour in Japan with the Endless Summer Beach Band?

May 28-June 3rd, 8 gigs. He also missed shows on June 29/30 & July 1/2 - all in Canada - for reasons unknown.

I love stats too!

AGD, do you have updated stats on the number of shows each individual Beach Boy has played? I found that post fascinating last year when you posted it.

  The Stebbins concert book implies it may have been a minor illness. That was my perception at least. Brian told someone Mike was "near death" before being corrected by Al. It was never a shock when Brian or Dennis missed a show. Even Carl and Al had their absences. But when Mike was out people took notice. In terms of live performances, Mike is pretty much the essential Beach Boy.

Working on it.

A great read, AGD. Just curious, can you specify what* Caribbean states they've played?



* Or would that be which? As a non-native English speaker, I have never grasped when to use what and when to use which in these matters.

Why would Mike book dates at the same time as the Beach Boys?

Which is best when talking about selection or choices - what is best used for identification or specifics.  In most cases you can get away with what over which, but not which over what.  Eg, "What day are you coming over" instead of "which day..." is ok; "Which time do you want me there" is not ok.

That was a cut and paste from spreadsheet. May refer to The Big Red Boat thing they did. Definitely going to do this in more depth shortly.

Thanks! That made it somewhat clearer :)

Looking forward to that!

Guam?  They really got around.

What I've wondered about is the strange coincidence (or not?) that Mike missed a show on June 2 and 3rd, and a recording purporting to be a June 6th show circulates where Mike is back but Al is gone. Was Al just run down from doing Mike's leads for eight gigs?

Caribbean countries:

Antigua
St. Lucia
St. Kitts
Barbados
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Cuba
Jamaica
USA (Puerto Rico)
Trinidad
Bahamas
Grenada

Which ones?

It's more likely the Endless Summer dates were booked first.

I don’t remember a great deal of details about that tour, but years later I recall seeing several Japanese TV show appearances that Mike made with the “Endless Summer” band. (I vaguely recall one of the appearances was made on the same “bill” on the show as Wilson Phillips).

So whatever the deal was, it wasn’t quite a typical case of that side-band just playing a couple of US corporate or private gigs in between BB shows. They were doing a little tour of Japan, and promoting it on TV (did Mike in the 80’s or 90’s ever do a US TV appearance with the “Endless Summer Beach Band”?), so I would guess it was a bigger-than-usual deal or offer to do some stuff in Japan, and that may have been one of the rare cases of Mike being willing to skip a few BB shows.

I wonder if getting offers for that Japan tour had any role in the BB’s ultimately playing in Japan the following year, 1991.

Gigs by year, and decade (for them as is amused by same):

1961 -    3
1962 - 131
1963 - 138
1964 - 149 [26 overseas]
1965 - 120 [8 Canada]
1966 - 146 [45 overseas/6 Canada]
1967 -   92 [23 overseas]
1968 - 122 [19/9]
1969 - 102 [37/5]

Total  - 999 [821 US/150 overseas/28 Canada]

1970 -   97 [76/2]
1971 -   67 [2 Canada]
1972 -   95 [27 overseas]
1973 - 102 [1 Canada]
1974 - 100 [6 Canada]
1975 - 101 [1/7]
1976 -   50 [8 Canada]
1977 -   48 [1/6]
1978 -   78 [15/7]
1979 -   79 [3/2]

Total - 871 [707/123/41]

1980 -   82 [8/3]
1981 - 132 [6/3]
1982 - 154 [4/9]
1983 - 125 [9 Canada]
1984 - 120 [2 Canada]
1985 - 106 [4 Canada]
1986 - 108 [7 Canada]
1987 - 158 [4/13]
1988 - 165 [1/12]
1989 - 110 [12/3]

Total - 1260 [1213/12/35]

1990 - 106 [3/7]
1991 - 126 [22/6]
1992 -   87 [9/3/4 Mexico]
1993 - 109 [20/7]
1994 -   73 [1/1]
1995 -   97 [7 Canada]
1996 -   73 [1/1]
1997 -   77 [1 overseas]
1998 -   50 [7/1]
1999 - 159 [14/1/1]

Total - 957 [840/78/34/5]

2000 - 120 [3/2/1]
2001 - 129 [13/9]
2002 - 133 [2 Canada]
2003 - 126 [22/1]
2004 - 127 [31/3]
2005 - 136 [9/5]
2006 - 117 [6/12]
2007 - 123 [13/4/1]
2008 -   95 [9/7]
2009 -   92 [4/7]

Total - 1198 [1034/110/52/2]

2010 - 110 [22/14]
2011 -   95 [10/7]
2012 -   84 [25/3]
2013 -   94 [4/8/1]
2014 -   94 [24 overseas] (assuming no shows cancelled, none added)

Total - 478 [360/85/32/1]

Overall, to end 2014 - 5,709 shows: 4868 in the US, 581 overseas, 252 Canada, 8 Mexico

More than the mop tops. They're just afraid of sharing the stage with Mike Love

This include (the known of) corporate gigs, right?

I think it's interesting that, after the 1980s, the 2000s was the decade with the most shows! Look what Mike can do when left to his own devices...

Yes. If Ian & I could list all of those, you could likely add another 10-15% overall.