The Smiley Smile Message Board

I get to start...well...just 'cause... :hat

There have been a bunch of really, Really GREAT shows.  Getting to MC several over the years in and around Toronto, circa '83-'93, was a HUGE thrill...but they don't qualify.  It ain't all about me.  The early 70s show where I accompanied Carl back to their Toronto lodgings for lunch and a chat was a GIGANTIC thrill.  I'll never-ever forget it.  THE highlight of my young life...by light years.  The box-set tour in the early 90s [because the venues were so SMALL and intimate that they could actually hear one another sing and as such the level of the performances were elevated BIG TIME] in Toronto's accoustically perfect Massey Hall ranks right up there...almost at the very top.  It is certainly the 2nd best concert I've ever been lucky enough to attend.  But there is one more that stands head and shoulders beyond the rest.  It will likely be the pinnacle for what's left of the rest of my life.

[Granted I did NOT get to attend a 50th Anniversary concert...so my view-point is, at the very least, incomplete.]

No...for me the head and shoulders winner was the Smile [BWPS] concert at the previously mentioned, accoustically perfect Massey Hall in Toronto. :hat  It was the concert that was NEVER-EVER going to happen.  Not a snowball's chance in hades that THAT would even BECOME a possibility.  ZERO likelihood.  A pipe dream.  Forget it.

Yet, On October 6, 2004...I arrived at Massey Hall to pick up *MY* tickets for the concert that would NEVER occur.  I had ordered them on-line.  Decent seats.  But for SOME inexplicable reason they were just not available when I arrived at the will-call window.  Really?!?!?!?  Some glitch in 'the machine' had robbed me of my seating.  :o   Oh "sh*t-on-a-stick"!!!  Don't panic.  How will THIS 'screw-up play out? ... ... ...

 Like 'Monopoly'.  "Bank error in your favour"  Collect 2 FRONT ROW CENTRE seats...do not pass go...do not collect 200 dollars.  As they sang on 15 Big-Uns...'It's OK'.  OK?  Freekin' JACK POT!!!

Now...I am on the edge of my [front row] seat because I know THIS is going to be beyond my wildest expectations.  I had only recetly discovered that there was a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson Message board.  It was printed on the back of his 'Imagination' cd which I'd purchased when it was released.  I quickly had discovered two things.  1.  The Blue-board...and then 2.  'Smile' was going to be completed, released and toured!!!  My Gawd!!!  Pinch me.

Oh YA!!  I'd died and gone to heaven.  There are other people who love the Beach Boys and Brian?...They 'chat' about it ON-LINE?  And SMiLE is HAPPENING???  Pinch me again...Am I dreaming?  But no...I wasn't.  I got to bear witness with eyes, ears and other human witnesses to the concert of a lifetime.  Man...I was pulling for Brian.  I wanted him to knock one so far out of the park that it would never land.  I wanted HIM to feel better about the whole 'thing' than anyone there...including me.  He/They most certainly did Clobber that 'sucker'...and then some.  Almost 11 years later and the ball is still sailing...showing no signs that gravity even exists.

And so it began... ... ...

1.And Your Dream Comes True
2.Surfer Girl
3.Wendy
4.Add Some Music to Your Day ...at this point I started to CRY...Hence the 'name' Add Some.  Cry?  What a 'suck'. :lol
5.Good to My Baby
6.Please Let Me Wonder
7.Drive-In   ...I couldn't believe they added this old 'baby' into the mix.  GREAT surprise.
8.Good Timin'
9.You're Welcome   ...I sure was.

That marked the end of the accoustic intro to the festivities.  It was FANTASTIC.  Wonderful way to present...and to begin.  Then...

10.Sloop John B
11.Hawaii  
12.Desert Drive  
13.California Girls
14.Your Imagination
15.Gettin' In Over My Head
16.God Only Knows
17.Don't Worry Baby
18.Forever
19.Soul Searchin'
20.Sail On, Sailor
21.Marcella

Now how the heck do you BEAT THAT???  We knew.  And this was only the intermission?  Pinch me again. [twice]

Then came the magic.  Brian Wilson and his Band of Excellence delivered perfection.  And I was front row centre with my wife???  Pinch me.  When they got to 'Vegetables' we hauled out a bunch of well done  'fake' veggies.  Carrots.  Tomatoes.  Green Peppers. etc and got the folks sitting on either side of us to join us in holding these props skyward.  Taylor Mills saw it and nudged the guys on either side of her to check it out.  They all laughed and we all felt great.  A possitive connection.  Pinch me.  It was just a blessing...pure and simple.  I wanted Brian to know...to get...to completely understand HOW MUCH this meant to 'us'...how much HE meant to 'us'...how important this moment was for ALL of us...including him.  I hope he did.  I hope he KNEW that we weren't just cheering and yelling and stomping and clapping for an encore...which he and the gang dutifully delivered.  [twice]

Encore:
39.Do It Again
40.I Get Around
41.Help Me, Rhonda
42.Barbara Ann
43.Surfin' U.S.A.
44.Fun, Fun, Fun


Much more well deserved fanaticism...and then...

Encore 2:
45.Love and Mercy

THAT'S it.  The BEST Beach Boys related concert I ever attended.  And all I had to do was show up.  Brian, et al, did ALL the rest. :hat

Brian Wilson performing Smile live in Frankfurt.

Before the show I wasn't really aware of what Smile souded like. I knew some Beach Boys albums, but wasn't really that familiar with most of the songs from Smile. So I went there with my friend and it blew our minds. It was like a rollercoaster ride. The best Beach Boys realted show I ever attended.

You've just reminded me I also took carrots and celery to my Smile concert, and chomped them throughout vega-tables. Can't remember if anyone really reacted.

I was at the same show. During the regular set they did Time to Get Alone, which was a nice surprise. Alte Oper was a very appropriate venue for a Smile show.

Driving my 55 Caddy to NYC in 1971 sans ticket, parking across the street from Carnegie Hall, handing the guard $5.00, and getting a seat on the end 7 rows from the stage. Will always go down as their best show I ever attended.

Great story!

Wish I had seen that show!

Too bad you guys had to pay the guards!  :lol

Sorry, I just could not resist!

Candlestick Park, San Francisco 1983 (last time I saw all three Wilsons on stage); SMILE in Houston AND Grand Prairie November 2004 (as my newly-minted Brian Wilson fan friend asked in Grand Prairie, as we sat in a venue that was sitting on a property his daddy used to ranch and he rode horses on as a kid, "how DO they DO that?"); best of all, even without Carl and Dennis: C50 at the Red Rock Amphitheater in Las Vegas May 2012 for my 62nd birthday and my own 50 years "with" the Beach Boys. THAT was a show to end all shows. (Seeing Carl Wilson at the Old Waldorf in SF in 1981 was a real treat, as well.)

Been to many shows, but here are some highlights:

1. BB at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. October 1981. I was 11 years old and was in the front row. Even shook Bruce Johnston's hand.

2. BW concert road trip in July 2011. First show, Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI. Invited after the show to meet BW (where my avatar pic was taken). We were all taken to a large indoor greenhouse, where Brian, Jeff F., and Probyn came in to see us. Second show, St. Charles, IL the following night. Indoor theater. I met Melinda Wilson in the lobby.

3. Went to two C50 shows in 2012. First at Summerfest in Milwaukee, where we actually got to see Three Dog Night (minus Chuck) the night before on a side stage. Then, a week later, saw the second show at Red Rock in Morrison, CO. Amazing experience.

4. BW concert road trip in July 2013. First show, Fraze Pavillion in Kettering, OH. The second night, Ravinia in Highland Park, IL, which was real cool because my family, including my sister and mother, met us there.

Great memories. I'm looking forward to more!

ALL of the 70's concerts were the best for me. Especially Beachago in 1975.

1973

Winterland, San Francisco: Beach Boys, Three Man Army (November 18, 1973). First Beach Boys concert.

Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento: Beach Boys, Three Man Army (November 21, 1973)  Still have my concert poster for this one.

1974

Day On The Green #1, Oakland: Grateful Dead, The Beach Boys, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (June 8, 1974).

Day On The Green #2 & 3, Oakland: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Band, Joe Walsh, Jesse Colin Young (July 13 & 14, 1974) (Still have my big yellow poster for this).  Ontario Motor speedway with The Boys was scheduled for August 3, 1974 - bought some drinking glasses with the BB logo on them commemorating the event that was eventually cancelled.

National Exhibition Hall, Sacramento: Beach Boys, Dec. 21, 1974

1975

Day On The Green #1, Oakland: Chicago, The Beach Boys, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Bob Seger (May 24, 1975). (Still have my poster and concert booklet for this). One of my all time favorites.

1976

Day On The Green #5, Oakland: The Beach Boys, America, Elvin Bishop, John Sebastian, Eureka. (July 2, 1976) Brian's back. Still have my concert booklet for this.

1977

Cow Palace, San Francisco: The Beach Boys, (December 28, 1977)

1978

Day On The Green #1: The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Elvin Bishop, Norton Buffalo (May 28, 1978).

1980's were a blur.

Candlestick Park, San Francisco 1983 or 1984. Sacramento State Fair and a couple of concerts at the Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA.

Old Waldorf, San Francisco CA. Carl Wilson solo show in 1981. First show, met with Carl between shows and stayed for part of the second.

1990's

Concord Pavilion - two or three Beach Boys concerts early to mid- 1990's. Concord Pavilion, Concord CA. Last time I saw the Beach Boys before Carl died.

2,000's - pretty much all of Brian's solo shows (including Paul Simon Tour, Pet Sounds (w/Al & Ricky) & Smile and TLOS) in the Bay Area up until two years ago.

Two Al shows - one at Great America Santa Clara and one at Big Sur. And a brief one in Berkeley.

C50 concert, Beach Boys in Berkeley, CA., June, 2012.

I saw Brian in 2004 in Frankfurt performing Smile. A fantastic experience and I loved the first part of the show and the encore just as much as I did the Smile part.

But the best show was The Beach Boys in Berlin in 2012. At first I was a little disappointed that they didn't use a video screen in Europe. I thought it was kinda sad that therefor no Dennis tribute/song was played. But that blend!! And the band!! Cowsill and Sahanaja stand out in my memory, although each member was just as great as the others. Darian's voice and singing on "Darlin'" were just so perfect! During "Disney Girls (1957)" Brian at one point seemingly out of the blue sang a harmony that just blew my mind and was a stunning contribution to a great (as usual) performance by Bruce. Bruce standing on one of the monitor speakers and conducting the audience for "Sloop John B." is another cool memory. I was too young to see them with Carl and this was my first (and probably last) chance to see the Beach Boys live.


EDIT:

This is a picture I made of Bruce during "Sloop John B."

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/71998_543943278955530_709373239_n.jpg?oh=f33757ebbfdcfcb7051468d2be4e8cc9&oe=5529A3A8&__gda__=1430086499_859f3b843392913b1c6b4f0429e664dc)

Brian Wilson - Smile live, October 14 2004 at the Orpheum in Boston. I could write a full essay on the experience but I won't here.  ;D The setlist, even the non-Smile material, was terrific and the crowd was fully engaged through the whole show. The Smile set was about as good as anything I have heard or will ever hear live. This was the show where Jeff Foskett was sick and could not perform.

From the first set, "God Only Knows" stands as one of the most transcendent musical and concert experiences I've ever witnessed. I wrote about it after it happened, but just to recap.

Something legitimately magical happened during that song, it's hard to explain yet easy to remember exactly what happened. As Brian and band went through the song, there was a feeling in the air that I can only describe as magical, you couldn't define it but it felt like something different was happening. And it felt like the whole crowd was feeling it too. By the end of the song, the whole crowd was coming to their feet, like the music had lifted all of us somewhere else for those few minutes, and as the song ended, everyone literally erupted. There was applause, there were tears (I had them, those around me had them), and it was pure joy and almost like a release of emotions - both physically and otherwise in the reaction. Everyone in that place was standing up, yelling-clapping-cheering-crying, and it was a truly collective, beautiful moment that could have stopped the whole show...again, before Smile even got started in the second set.

As much as the crowd felt it - Brian felt this too, and with all the crowd noise from a long standing ovation, you could hear him on stage saying "wow! thank you!" "wow"...things like that, you could see him smiling and it seemed like even he was taken aback and taken by surprise by what had just happened and the reactions everyone had and was feeling. How many times had he done this song in the years just before this on various tours, yet you could tell something this night was different somehow. The wave of applause from the crowd proved it.

I have never, and will never, listen to a recording of that show. I couldn't hear everything Brian said in reply, I couldn't see everything that was going on due to the crowd's eruption, but it was an unfiltered and unplanned collective response to something that kept building and building during the song and again which I think audience members all felt themselves gradually getting swept up into...perhaps subconsciously or as a gut reaction that just took over as the music played.

Really, really special performance. One moment that can never be matched, and one moment which I really don't care to hear in the form of a recording because I was there to experience it and get swept up in it along with everyone else in that theater. When the applause died down and everyone finally sat down, you almost felt tired out and numb afterward. God Only Knows for sure.

And Smile was terrific too.  ;)

I recall something similar for the final night of the TLOS run at the Royal Festival Hall.  Long, spontaneous standing ovation, though probably not people rising during the song itself.  I was right near the stage.  Brian looked down a couple of times during the ovation, then back up at the crowd.  He wiped his eyes then and said 'you're gonna make me cry up here', or words to that effect.

As a general performance, I preferred the TLOS premiere.  Brian was enjoying the final night, so it took the edge off a touch.  I remember him during the performance of TLOS at the premiere, more serious and focussed, his hand trembling as he took his mug of herbal tea.  Such a performance of Midnight's Another Day.  I was up close then too.  Shivers.  I guess I'll suggest that as my favourite BB-related concert moment.

Smile was great too, but I have no original thoughts/anecdotes to add.

Really enjoyed the Gershwin show at the RFH, partially because Brian seemed to be in a great mood.  Also, it was the first time I'd seen him at that venue where the BBs hit set was the meat of the show, coming after the Gershwin set.  It was kind of a big difference.  Come to think of it, that was the last time I saw a Brian Wilson show, in 2011, and I kinda felt like that was it, that there probably wasn't much more to come, career or concert-wise, from the man or the rest of the Boys.

Most favourite show of all was probably RAH for the Beach Boys 2012, but that's for different reasons that are fairly obvious for a fan who wasn't around during the earlier days (and Brian was in an even greater mood).

While I've got several shows under my belt from which to choose, I know I'm on the lower end of the spectrum in comparison to the longtime or more fanatical fans around here. Mine are all Brian Wilson shows, no Beach Boys shows. For different reasons, I loved several: the sheer wonder at my first one, in 2001 (Paul Simon tour); the energy in the TLOS show; and the excitement of Al and Dave joining the band in 2013.

But the most special show for me was my first of two Smile shows, which I saw in Glasgow in early 2004. It was my first overseas trip ever--a fantastic time in Glasgow and London--and just an amazing show. I had about four years of medium-intense Smile collecting and recreating behind me, but avoided the boots that were circulating in those early days so I could be surprised by the final results. (Actually, truth be told, I think I did listen to a few bits here and there, but not a whole show. I swear. I think.)

The first set struck me in how horrible it was. Maybe I exaggerate it in my own mind now, but there were so many songs that just didn't connect at all. "Time to Get Alone," admittedly not the easiest of songs, was horrendous. That disappointed me, being a favorite. I want to say he tried and mangled "Breakaway" that night, too, but that might not be true. Memory is a funny thing. What I do know for sure is that during the pre-Smile intermission, I told my traveling companion and friend that it wouldn't surprise me if we would receive an announcement that the show simply would not go on. I had never heard of such a thing with Brian's solo career, but it struck me as entirely reasonable that this might be the case on that night, off as Brian obviously was. I mean, it was not good.

We went back in and took our seats for Smile. Shows always are better live, and in our memories, than on tape, so don't believe the boots. That night was as close to religion as I get, from the opening notes of "Our Prayer" to the end of "Good Vibrations." That was my liturgy and I was in awe, reverently soaking in as much as I could. I laughed, delighted how this fit there and that fit here, the best puzzle I'd ever seen assembled, all so flawlessly by that fantastic band. And Brian performed more than admirably, especially considering his first-set lowlights.

Anyway, then we left, bought deep-fried pizza from some street vendor (what the f***, Glasgow? why do you hate me?) to devour with some Tennent's back in our room, and recounted our perspectives on the show before heading back the next morning (on a flight graced by some kilted--but not underweared--drunken Scottish guys).

btw, I've told that story a million times, several of which were probably here. Hopefully it retains some kernel of truth.

I've seen Brian probably 20, 21 times since he started touring in 1999. I saw the Beach Boys in 1996 and again in 2012 during the 50th anniversary tour.

Best of all of 'em, for me: easily Brian at Massey Hall in Toronto in 2011. Just a fantastic show from start to finish. Brian was SO on that night. The crowd was loving every second of it, and Brian was definitely feeding off it. The band was tighter than ever, and the Gershwin set was just unbelievable, especially "I Loves You, Porgy".

Christchurch NZ 1978. Can't remember much of the setlist. Terrible sound from a terrible tour however the names Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike and Al make up for any shortcomings. 

Mikie, I knew you were at the 83 or 84 Candlestick, and '78 Day on the Green (not their best) that I my wife and attended, but was that Sacramento show the one at Cal Expo in '83?  Seems like Pablo Cruise opened?  Sounds like we were both at the Old Waldorf the same night too on Fisherman's Wharf for Carl as well. That was a nice show. Up close and personal. Wish I had some pictures from that one (or our ticket stubs we forgot on the table). Did you see them at Shoreline in '86?  That was OK but of course no Brian.

I was at this exact show. Thanks for reminding me what a great night it was.

Hi, Norm. No, I wasn't at the Cal Expo show in 1983, but I was there for one of the Beach Boys shows between 1985 and 1987. There was another show in Sacramento that I attended (in addition to the late '73 and '74 shows) at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento. I don't even remember what year that was.

As far as the Carl Wilson show at the Old Waldorf. I was sitting at a table right near the stage. When Carl talked about his new album in between playing songs, I reached over and handed him my copy of the album for him to hold up for the audience.  With a big grin he gave me back the album and told me, "Your 5 bucks is in the mail". I later caught him near his dressing room in between shows, asked him to autograph the album, and I told him I loved his solo music and the songs he wrote for the "Keepin' The Summer Alive" album (he really appreciated that). I shook his hand, and he said, "Thank you very much". Guy couldn't have been more humble and gracious.

Wow John, I must have been your limo driver back in 2011 as I also saw both of these shows !!  But that second BW show  in St. Charles at the Arcadia Theatre was my best ever BB/BW concert experience.  Was fortunate to have second row seats in that very small (and HOT old vaudeville theatre).  Will never EVER forget the opening Our Prayer with the acoustics near flawless.  Obviously the local St. Charles crowd was there (BW group founded there in the late 90's) and was roaring with pleasure.  From memory, I believe Brian walked out with a second encore and sang Love and Mercy.   Best ever moment

It was a bitter, bitter year in England, 1966. My dad, recently demobbed from the RAF and famished due to the Swede’s fried fish blockade, stole a loaf and at the direction of the Old Bailey was cast off with his new bride to the colonial morass of the antipodes.

On the rank shores of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, Dad (I called him "Dad") met with folk of the old lands and was welcomed into a family anew.

One of my adopted cousins was a Beach Boys fan - he had attended the tour of ’78, and in his collection was a vinyl copy of L.A and a cassette of Smiley Smile - both of which he lent me, which at the time helped sooth my obsession re all things BB.

So it was, many years later in the year 2002, one Brian Wilson came down to perform an highly anticipated live version of the beloved album, Pet Sounds.

With child 3 not far off, it was a little impractical for my beautiful wife to join me - so I called my old pal/faux cousin, still living at Mom and Dad’s house, to see if he wanted to come along.  “Yeah, I’d love it.  Can I pay you on the night?”

Yeah, no wukkas, Cuz.

Anyway, we met at bar 5 of the Brisbane Entertainment centre (generic performance stadium).  I in cherry red doc boots, levi’s etc, Cuz in grey velcro pumps, trackie-dacks (sweat pants?) etc.

We had a couple of beers - “Can I pay you when I see you next?”.  Yeah, no worries, man.

We sat down next to a mum and her late teen daughter, the daughter obviously dragged along for company.  At first, the daughter was simpatico and traded a jape or 2  - but after a round of “Sail of Sailor” accompanied by my lead vocal and air kick-bass drumming, her geek alarm was raised, leaving me, the mom and Cuz kicked back and had a ball for the rest of the evening.

And Brian Wilson - well, he played well, and sang nice: so did the band - but they didn’t do Pet Sounds; despite the program.

Anyway, it was a time and the best BB related gig I’ve been to, despite being stiffed on the ticket price and a couple of beers.

As for my faux cuz, well, he drifted along, not quite fitting in for many many years.

Finally, he found love and married - sadly though, he’s spent this christmas break in waiting rooms as his wife has struggles through various operations to address her breast cancer.

Time will tell what happens there, but time has told me to share those good times with your friends, or your families - no matter how tenuous or dorky those relationships may be.  I’m glad my good time was at a BB related gig.  Make 'em all the best!

Best BB related concert? The only one----in the grounds of Kenwood House in late June 2008. Whatever went wrong behind the scenes and whatever the general verdict, I loved every minute of it. I'd seen one of my idols backed by a great band----what more could I reasonably wish for?   

C50 concert at Bethlehem, PA. Second row front and center. Great concert, Mike pointed at me several times, and got Al Jardine's pick at the end of the concert. A magical night.

Hah! That was you! Les Chan was there as well, although I did not know him at the time. Yeah, I guess Carl was quite a guy.

No contest--C50 at the Hollywood Bowl June 2, 2012.

Les was a real super-fan and didn't miss much. He knew pretty much everyone in the Beach Boys Bay Area fan community (and beyond) and many had their picture taken with him. I'm not sure he EVER missed a show, whether it be The Beach Boys or a solo show. If I'm not mistaken, his first show was December 20, 1974 at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. I still have a message from him in my Facebook asking me if I was going to make the BB C50 concert in Tahoe in July 2012. I didn't read it until he passed away 5 months later!!

No doubt for me it was the Smile concert I saw Brian do in Boston MA. I absolutely loved the opening set with the various songs like Hawaii and Time To Get Alone, and of course I was in awe when they performed the Smile album. I had great seats and could see the entire band just fine. I loved the Mrs. O'Leary's Cow part of the concert when the musicians wore their fire helmets and were surrounded by the wavy orange flames. Yup, gotta say it was my favorite Beach Boys related concert I ever saw. Now if the question was "What Was The Best Beach Boys (not solo) Concert You Ever Attended" I'd say it was my first ever Beach Boys concert back in 1993. No Brian there, but we still had Carl. And Al of course. Since then I've seen probably twenty more Beach Boys related concerts and have enjoyed every single one of them. The next show I'm going to will be April 17 in Linclon RI. Mike & Bruce at Twin River.

Mississippi River Fest, Edwardsville, IL - Sunday, August 21, 1977

Before the show in conversation with group who came two weeks earlier to see Jackson Browne, who recorded his show for his upcoming Running on Empty LP.  I think the "Rosie" song was recorded in his Edwardsville hotel room.

Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike and Al Present.  Ricci Martin was the opening act.  Sailboat set was gone but massive risers, full horn line, Billy Hinsche, Ed Carter, Carli, Bobby Figueroa, the classic 70s band.  Charles Lloyd also present.

Big sound that night.  Brian was the most animated I have ever seen him.  He was constantly riffing on piano, enthusiastic, shout outs to the audience, vocal riffs.  Great stuff.

CALIFORNIA GIRLS
--Began with Brian riffing on piano for about thirty seconds, then singing a sort of soul bit along with the opening fanfare ("whoah, whoah woah, oh, yeah...")

DARLIN'

SLOOP JOHN B
--Mike formally introduces Brian as the "...musical sage of the age, the musical genius of ever..."  Brian almost shouts the lead vocal throughout ("We COME on the Sloop John B-E-E-E-E-E!)

LITTLE DEUCE COUPE

IN MY ROOM
--Dennis out front for this.

SAIL ON SAILOR
--Billy Hinsche

CALIFORNIA SAGA: CALIFORNIA

GOD ONLY KNOWS
--Mike:  "Written in some twenty minutes, they say..."

AIRPLANE
--Great live version with brass and jazz flute from Charles.  And stellar call and response from Carl and Brian on the tag.

At this point, Brian straps on a bass and moves to the center as Dennis punches up the drums

BACK HOME
--Rousing version

SURFER GIRL
--Sung by Brian in weak but in key falsetto.

LADY LYNDA
--Dennis introduces this song as " a new one from Al - which is why I don't play on it!"  Good natured tweak from Dennis, who then runs off the stage.

CATCH A WAVE
--Much time spend on tune-up and a slight sound buzz.  In voices dripping with sarcasm, Carl  and Mike thank the local sound guys for "... the buzz."  Mike talks about a package tour and a Hollywood Bowl show with Dino, Desi & Billy and again introduces Billy.  Some talk about Dennis' new album, then Brian back on piano, Dennis back on drums and the band finally kicks in for a great version with the brass line handling the organ parts at the end of each chorus.

BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL
--Mike calls for a note from Brian, who provides.  Then Brian sings harmony with Mike on the entire vocal intro to the song ("When some loud braggart...")  Big audience response.

HONKIN' DOWN THE HIGHWAY
--Great drums... Al shares the lead vocal with Billy.  Brass really adds to the LOVE YOU tracks.

IT'S OK
--Gets the audience to their feet and then entr'acte

INTERMISSION

LOVE IS A WOMAN
--Mike sang this while sitting on Brian's piano, as I recall.

EVERYONE'S IN LOVE WITH YOU
--begins with a TM lecture from Mike

ALL THIS IS THAT
--faultless

FEEL FLOWS
--Very jazzy, even more than the album.  Great vocal from Carl and flute solo from Charles.  Crowd now restless.

HEROES & VILLAINS
--Dennis comes out front as Bobby starts the drum beat.  Dennis intros everyone from the stage... "Mike Love... Al Jardine... Carl Wilson..." etc.  and then it begins.  The home stretch, as they used to call it in those days.

HELP ME RHONDA
--Dennis on piano... the best 1970s "fanfare" intro I've heard, causing the song to literally explode into action after that last sustained brass intro note.

WOULDN'T IT BE NICE
--Dennis and Bobby dueling drums & timpani on the prelude to the song's tag.

I GET AROUND
--Crowd now, literally in hysteria, manic.

GOOD VIBRATIONS
--Brian revs up the crowd..."OK, now this is our big one, our REALLY BIG ONE!  It went all the way to number 1!"  So sing along!"

SURFIN' USA

ENCORE

YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL
--Dennis nails it as girls scream, then "Ladies and gentlemen... the Beach Boys..."

BARBARA ANN
ROCK & ROLL MUSIC
FUN FUN FUN
--Literally an audience frenzy... these play like one long song, with the falsetto ending playing out over the park.

A great night... thankfully, still have a recording of this show (sans All This is That, due to tape damage on the original cassette).

Ahhh, I was about to say I'm amazed at your memory, but having the tape...   
Fairly certain I saw this show also; think it was afterwards, at Brian's hotel, that I asked him to sign my copy of "Child Of Winter". ( he signed the plain sleeve instead, Oh well! ) 

<<Ahhh, I was about to say I'm amazed at your memory, but having the tape...   
Fairly certain I saw this show also; think it was afterwards, at Brian's hotel>>

Do you remember how animated Brian was at that show?  A friend of mine saw the show the night before in Louisville, KY, and said Brian was really lackluster.  Hit and miss in those days.

If it's not collecting-related, I have trouble remembering last week

Saw The Beach Boys and Brian's band many, many times since the 70's, but the top three concerts:

1. September 24, 1971, Carnegie Hall, 7:30 p.m. show. First time I saw the group was also the classiest and most exciting.

2. Smile live concert for the DVD, 9/26/2004, Burbank, CA: Spent five days shooting all of the rehearsals, watched all (if memory serves) of Pet Sounds rehearsed by Brian and the band in a practice room for newest member Nelson to learn, with about three or four other people in the room. Like having a private screening. Then two consecutive shows for taping for an audience of about 200 people, sitting right behind Melinda and the kids and right in front of Van Dyke and Sally Parks. Brian knocked it out of the park, and my life with this music came full circle.

3. C50 at Red Rocks, meet and greet, second row soundcheck, and 8th row center seats for the concert. The most flat out enjoyable evening of live music I've ever experienced.

I wrote this a while ago about the Groningen BW concert I attended: http://locusceruleus.tumblr.com/post/96952332293/brian-wilson

C50 Tour, Wembley Arena.

Greatest night of my life.

The best was probably the first...June 20, 1978 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Brian, Dennis, Carl, Al, and Mike. Brian looked great, blue Adidas sweat suit and brown Fender bass for a lot of the show. He actually played a song on the bass with a lit cigarette between his right fingers. For one song he sat down with the bass on a speaker or something. We were about 25 feet from the stage, standing on the floor; in those days you could do that, but it was scary when the show started and people compacted. The beach balls that were flying around had some altered titles written on them- Good Vibrators, Little Douche Coupe, Fu--, Fu--, Fu--. etc. We weren't in Kansas anymore. The crowd was nuts; dancing, clapping, singing, sweating. For the encores, Karen Lamm-Wilson came onstage and sang backup vocals; I don't think many were actually LISTENING TO HER! They played "Peggy Sue" that night and it rocked. But, honestly, they sang poorly for much of the concert. The sloppiness was noticeable and, frankly, disappointing. I had no idea they sounded like that live. Who knew that in a few months Brian's life would change considerably. But - BUT - that concert was and is STILL one of the greatest thrills of my life.

Sounds damn near perfect.

I first saw The Beach Boys in 1985 as a wee lad of 14 at the National Scout Jamboree in Virginia. Less than two weeks removed from Live Aid, they did not (according to one who knows) have Brian in the line-up. Alas, I was too young and too casual of a fan at the time to notice for myself or to recall clearly today.  Playing in front of crowd of Boy Scouts, the band got its biggest reaction with "California Girls", recognized by all as a David Lee Roth song.  The only other song I was familiar with at the time was Good Vibrations, thanks to the recent Sunkist campaign. But I came away from that concert excited by the music and eager to learn more. By the time Kokomo hit three years later, I was firmly a fan, albeit one that had not bothered to dig deeper than the pre-'66 hits.

I saw them again in 1995 at Callaway Gardens on May 21. (The Bellagio site has it misspelled as Calloway). Carl was in fine shape and I'm so glad I saw him at this time. They had Matt in the line-up, a ringer they brought in to rap Wipeout and a parade of dancers for California Girls. I had at this point become a solid fan and had actively sought out this show and made my girlfriend go with me.... but I still hadn't discovered the deep catalog. In fact, it was just around this time that I bought the "Good Vibrations: 20 Greatest Hits" CD and discovered for the first time Shut Down, Sloop John B, Dance Dance Dance and Do You Wanna Dance.  I loved the show, but I clearly had a lot ahead of me to learn.

May 14, 1999 I saw the post-Carl, post-Al Beach Boys, with David, in Birmingham. Not much changed me as a fan, but the crowd was awesome that night and I remember being so pleased that there were that many other fans besides me that appreciated these songs.

It all changed for me on a July night in 2000 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Pet Sounds Tour came to town and I was front and center. I had a copy of the album on CD but had been unimpressed and didn't listen to it much. But that night... I got it. It all clicked for me. I was mesmerized. And not just by Taylor Mills. I felt so fortunate that even though I wasn't born until 1971, here I was able to enjoy hearing Brian Wilson perform Pet Sounds. After this show, my serious fandom began and I set out on a journey of discovery as I began buying up all the studio album 2-fers.

But none of those compare to the October 2004 SMILE concert in Atlanta or the April 2012 C50 show at the same venue (Chastain Park). Hard to pick between those two. I think Brian was at his best in 2004. That night was amazing. The crowd was great, the set list was great, Brian sounded strong, the band was unbelievable. I had just bought BWPS and was just hearing some of the material (I did have the GV box set). But I was fully aware of Brian's story at this point and fully aware of SMILE and I knew exactly how amazing it was, how fortunate I was, that I had actually lived to see this show.  Beach Boys history was still being written and I was able, despite my relative youth, to witness some of it.

THIS was a GREAT show!!  And I gained added perspective on it when Brian came back through Atlanta in August of 2011 for a Greatest Hits show. A fraction of the crowd, BW visibly more frail and disinterested, and an unimaginative setlist. I enjoyed myself (H&V was a highlight, as was Darian's Darlin), but it felt flat compared to BWPS.

But then C50... wow. THIS is how a BB show is supposed to sound. I was a fully informed serious fan and lover of the deep catalog at this point and I just couldn't believe we had Mike and Brian on the same stage. That Brian was touring with the BBs. That David was there TEARING IT UP on guitar. And what a supporting band. And DENNIS (sort of). Never had a chance to see him.

Long answer I know, but: even though Brian gave a better performance in 2004 and obviously had a set list that serious fans would love, the best experience for me was C50. Brian, Mike, Al, David and Bruce. Together. Impeccable band. Two long sets. (Probably) once in a lifetime opportunity.

So glad I went.

OK, I'm jealous. All my great years in Scouting in the '60's, I never got to attend a national jamboree.

It's not too late!!

Very cool, another fan who saw Smile at the Orpheum! I wrote earlier about God Only Knows, was curious if your memories were similar to my experience that night.

Did you happen to catch the show Brian did at Symphony Hall in 1999? If not for the Smile concert, I'd have listed that show because it was early in that tour and seeing Brian perform a full show live was something at that time I never thought I'd be able to do. The Pet Sounds material that night floored me. Had seats in the first balcony right above the stage, could see and hear everything. Great night.

Now that's one concert I'd like to have been at!

Brian doing the Pet Sounds show in Glasgow - his first concert appearance in the UK for many years. Barely reported in the UK press, if I remember correctly, because he hadn't played London yet and those were the shows the media were attending. Great night, but Smile in Newcastle was even better - though ignored by the shitty local press which only does culture if it's at the bottom of a can of sh*t lager or has tits on it.

Really nice. I was there as well. I remember being so disappointed when Al stepped out on the European tour at the last moment. But having Billy Hinsche there instead was good enough for me. Can't remember you dancing up front though, guess I was paying all my attention to the music  :)
You were probably one of the first to enter the hall, as I remember the chairs not being numbered, so it was first come first serve. And I assume you bought Taylor's (at the time) new CD as well when you talked with her?

Ah, SMiLE Newcastle, March 6th 2004. Magical ! And probably my favorite show BW show I attended (although Pet Sounds Hamburg 2002 comses close, as it was my very first BW concert ever). Being a guest at JP and being present at the pre-SMiLE party in the Pet Sounds shop, talking with some of the band members there, hearing SMiLE life for the first time, sitting next to a fan who promised me an audio copy if I didn't clap too loud (we both kept our word  ;D ), it was all great. The setlist was a bit shorter compared with other ones as BW was a bit sick that day. I remember Jeff fosket getting a call and suddenly leaving the SMiLE party. And the guards at the Newcastle City Hall were a pain. A very tense atmosphere, especially afterwards. I was backstage waiting for a short talk and autograph from the man. But halfway the session, clearly still not feeling well, and combined with the 'bad vibrations', he suddenly decided to leave. Bit of a disappointment for me personally, but understandable in those circumstances. It still was a fantastic experience. Unbelievable this was almost 11 years ago. Time flies.

<<I saw them again in 1995 at Callaway Gardens on May 21...a ringer they brought in to rap Wipeout >>

That "ringer" was Billy Hinsche, Uncle to Carl's son, former member of Dino, Desi and Billy, touring member of the Beach Boys band for decades, whose work with the Beach Boys dates back to the 1965 harmonica solo on Mountain of Love from the Party Album.

And a fine rapper, I might add.

http://s1242.photobucket.com/user/Phil_Solomon/media/Fillmore.jpg.html (ftp://http://s1242.photobucket.com/user/Phil_Solomon/media/Fillmore.jpg.html)

I have been trying to insert a Fillmore program that has an ad for the Carnegie show to no avail...

A quick refresher on how to insert images? Do they have to reside in a URL address that you then place between the img brackets - or can you just upload a jpg from your desktop directly?

Unfortunately I didn't catch the Symphony Hall show in 1999. Would've loved it for sure!

You just have to enclose the URL of the photo with these: "[ img ] [ /img ]" (excluding the extra spaces)

(http://i1242.photobucket.com/albums/gg530/Phil_Solomon/Fillmore.jpg)

Unfortunately, I've only been to four. Maybe 5. I became a big fan in 98 when I saw the Endless Harmony doc. But I may have seen them once before that in the early 90s at the Texas state fair. I just wasn't paying attention because I wasn't a fan then, but a friend mentioned they were on a stage. Three of the other Four were great! Pet Sounds tour in Dallas around 2000 or 2001. The Smile tour in Dallas area in 2005??? And the 50th in the Dallas area in 2012. The Mike and Bruce show in the late 90s was forgettable and at that time I didn't think I would ever get to see anything great by them. Of course I am thankful that things have improved in the Beach Boys world since the 90s!

Strange thing was, when I saw him at Glasgow, security didn't give a sh*t and people were crowding up to the stage to take photos of the Great Man and then went down to shake his hand at the end.

The fact I had to skip a day at work also sticks in my mind. I remember when we arrived in Glasgow, the snow was melting and it was like walking in two inches of water!

On both occasions, Brian was far more engaged and singing better in the second half of the show, so I was a little annoyed when I saw him do Gershwin at The Sage in Gateshead and he did the album first and the hits after the interval. Again, he was better in the second half.

 ;D

There you go.  Thanks, GV33.

Groningen! Very nice city. I was there in November of 2013 for a congress.

Nice ad!  I think it was last year that someone was trying to sell their poster for the 72 Carnegie Shows on Ebay, minimum was something like $5000;  I don't think it sold... 

    (http://i57.tinypic.com/i5d3yh.jpg)

I didn't have a secret agenda when I posted this topic.  It was intended as a vehicle for us to share some special memories and times...to, hopefully, let us relive some specific moments which we ourselves might have sort of forgotten...or at least which might have faded from memory just a little.  GREAT to see that, in some cases, other SS board members attended the exact same shows...or shows on the same tours...maybe a night or two [or 3] later.  Some stories were detailed.  Some a little more brief and to the point.  No matter.  Each post is a valuable addition to the thread.

For some it was hard to choose just 1.  No problem.  You're actually REALLY fortunate to have 2 or 3 or more perfectly memorable experiences.  Bottom line.  These shows were great, important, significant, memorable and added something of huge value to our individual and our collective life's experience.  That Brian, Dennis, Carl, Mike, David, Al, Bruce, Blondie and Ricky [along with their supporting caste[ s ] managed to do that for so many people...so many times...over the space of over 40 years worth of listed concert going opportunities says a LOT about The Beach Boys and their 'related' permeations.  It also says a BUNDLE about the music, the lyrics, the VIBRATIONS.
Regardless of who you 'side with' through the thick and thin story of the Beach Boys...bottom line...S'all good.  It's also more than just a little evident that when it comes to the Beach Boys...the concensus seems to be simply this...The more...the merrier.

Yo...B.R.I...You HEAR!!!???!!!  :hat

I saw them a lot over the past several decades.   Saw SMiLE, Pet Sounds, Brian with the Beach Boys in the 80's,   And a lot more.  but my favorite show,  the one that stands out in my memory the most, was one of the early shows when Carl returned After his solo hiatus.  to me, this was the Beach Boys reunion.  they were spot on and CW was transcendent.  To have CW back after seeing them without him, was just pure joy.   Better in terms of pure ecstasy and  as good as seeing C50 in Pittsburgh in 2012.    Losing CW and getting him back is/was a once in a lifetime experience for this BB fan.

The aforementioned Smile concert at Massey Hall was a great one. Apart from what Add Some said, there are a few key things that stick in my mind from the show. I remember that when they started the "band" part of the show (after the more acoustic set that started things) they started with And Your Dreams Come True in a dark lighting which came up all the way for the next song - pretty cool, dramatic stuff. I remember Brian's hand gestures being so wild that he smacked his microphone away during the first or second verse of Heroes and Villains. He dealt with it like a pro. Also, I think this was the week that Smile made it to #13 - it's quite possible that this was the first show after the album reached that peak and Jeff announced it to the audience and the place went wild. I also remember thinking that the Smile logo on the back of Jeff's guitar, which he displayed at the end of Good Vibrations was pretty cool.

It was a staggering night though maybe not the most significant for me. Unfortunately, being the time that this was, I had already heard the Smile concert from one of the very first London shows, as a result of the old Smile Shop. The night was still amazing but I could anticipate just about everything.

I think the night that was the most significant for me was going to the Pet Sounds concert at the Molson Amphitheatre a few years earlier. It was the summer of 2000 between my first and second year of university. It was quite the time to be a Beach Boys fan. I had always loved the band's hits as well as Pet Sounds going back to my childhood days in the late 80s and early 90s. Then around 1997 or so, I became even more invested in Pet Sounds. I began listening to it every day. By the time I was done high school, I had purchased the SS/WH and F/2020 twofers. My growing love for the band was coinciding with a revival movement, and I saw the Brian bio on A&E as well as Endless Harmony where I heard fragments of Smile for the first time.

Then in my first year of university, I finally was able to hear Smile in its entirety (or what I thought was its entirety), I got the Beach Boys Good Vibrations box set from my school's library and heard so many of the gems that I had heard about but had thus far been unable to obtain. I met a friend who I started a band with who was having the same growing appreciation for The Beach Boys as me - except he was more of a collector than I was so over the next few years he kept beating me to the punch with all the material.

Because of him, that summer was the summer of The Beach Boys. The friends that I met in university would always hang out with Today/Summer Days or Pet Sounds or Smile in the background. It was the soundtrack to what may end up being the best days of my life. Then it transpired that Brian Wilson was doing the Pet Sounds album at the Molson Amphitheatre. I went to show with my first serious girlfriend, happened to sit beside another young fan who I could talk to about the music.

Because these were the early days of my fandom, and because I wasn't as adept at social media (and because the internet just wasn't was what it is now), I didn't really know what to expect. I knew what Brian was like from the interviews that I had seen, particularly in the Bio and in EH. But I didn't know how he would sound. The show started with that orchestral medley produced by Van Dyke Parks, and I remember trying to decipher the songs. Then Brian came out - at that point the audience for these shows were there to cheer on a survivor. That's essentially how Brian was packaged at the time - and it was quite true. There's still a little bit of that there, but because of the last fifteen years, Brian has proven himself. At that time, though, he hadn't quite proven himself as a touring musician in the late period of his career.

I remember how things seemed fragile - I remember worrying that everything could collapse at any moment. I remember witnessing the Brian hand movements for the first time which at the time seemed unusual but now are a crucial part of his character. I remember hearing the attempts at banter. I remember when Brian started coughing the middle of Here Today. But most of all, I remember hearing all of the songs that had being playing such a significant role in my life over the previous few years being performed so incredibly well by a back-up band that I didn't know at all, but would come to know (from an admiring distance) for the next fifteen years. I remember Brian being great - I remember the audience cheer when Brian held that high note in Don't Talk (that's how fragile things felt!). I remember Brian taking the bass in the encore and feeling like this was the first time he had done this in years (of course, it wasn't). I remember thinking that this could all be a brief moment - that I might never be able to see this remarkable artist again. Fortunately, I have since seen him four more times. It was a very special evening.

That was flippin' beautifully written......brought a tear to my eye....nice one.

Just the ONE best show, or many?  ??? I can't compete with the insiders here, so I will just name 2, both 1983: the group playing after a Mariners game in the old Kingdome, May - only time I saw all 6 guys together; and Carl, a month later, at a club in Seattle. If I had to narrow it down to just the one, it would be Carl's solo show, because it was such a unique experience, and he and his band tore it up that night. Wish I had a recording of that show.

So so so many great shows over the years. If I had to pick one it would be Dec. 3, 1971, Long Beach Arena.

The C50 show in Milwaukee 2012 was special for me, I was front row with Brian a few feet away. 

The best for me: Brian at Jazzfest (the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival), 24 April 2005, 4 months before Katrina.  Before the show, Brian was interviewed by Harry Shearer.  The show opened with "Our Prayer," and the voices were beautifully in tune, giving the chords that "ringing" quality.  I noticed that the vocalists did a wonderful job with intonation throughout the show!

I was surprised to see a woman among the backup singers.  I didn't know anything about personnel before I got there, although I knew the SMiLE material from the 1980s vinyl with liner notes allegedly by James Watt.  The female voice didn't detract from the Beach-Boy-like blend.  At some point, Brian named all his family members.  I felt so happy for him that he'd gotten to a place where he could finish SMiLE, and I was grateful for the opportunity to hear it from him.

My first:  The Beach Boys at Pinewood Bowl, Lincoln, Nebraska, 15 June 1995.  This is in a city park.  Christopher Cross opened.  The Beach Boys Cheerleaders were part of the act, which I thought was a bit much.  Mike introduced the backing musicians; the only name I remember is Mike Kowalski.

My missed opportunity:  Carl at Mabel's, Champaign, Illinois, 6 September 1981.  This was a club near the University of Illinois, where I was a student (a music major, in fact).  I didn't make the show, for reasons I don't remember anymore.  There was a record shop nearby called Soundworks, and the guy there told me Ricky Fataar or Blondie Chaplin (don't remember which; he was in Carl's band) had been in the shop.  Ricky or Blondie told the record shop guy that He'd heard SMiLE and it was great.

Are you sure it wasn't Billy Hinsche that was in Carl's band?

Billy was in Carl's band when I saw them, June 1983. No Blondie or Ricky to be seen.

First show: Wembley Arena, June 1980. All six present, in body if not actually in spirit. But... Brian could have mooned the audience and got a five minute ovation. Ten, if we'd known the next time would be 22 years later.

Best show [BB]:close call... 1993 - last UK tour with Carl, great show... 2008 - Mike & Bruce hit it out of the park... 2012 - the Very Last Beach Boys Show Ever, and one of the best.

Best show [BW]: first night of Smile in London. l don't care how much better the second night was, it will never, ever be the first night... and emotionally, that first night was off the scale. Close second was the TLOS premiere.

Worst show [BB]: Wembley 1991. Appalling sound and a performance so perfunctory as to be insulting.

Worst show [BW]: Hampton Court 2005. Again, a mix with holes you could drive a tank through, a woefully under-rehearsed band and Brian on auto pilot.

About my missing Carl in September 1981:  As I remember it, the guy at Soundworks told me it was one of the two guys who'd been in Flame and joined the BBs in the early '70s.  He named the one he meant; I don't remember anymore which one.  Whoever it was, he'd been in the shop and told the record shop guy that he'd heard SMiLE and it was great.  I am certain of the story that I've italicized here.

He definitely did NOT say that Carl Wilson had been in the shop.

I don't know if I've ever heard Billy Hinsche's name said out loud (I'm not sure how Hinsche is pronounced).

HIN-she

Relatively new to this Beach Boys world, so I've only been to three. 

But the best is still the C50 Merriweather show I saw in June 2012.  I was only a casual BB fan until that fateful night.

My first one, which is still in the future....   :banana

Bonnie,

I told you on the other board, but if you get a chance to see a Mike and Bruce (and sometimes David) show, do it. 

Granted, Brian and Al aren't there, but you'll get to hear great versions of classic songs done with respect. 

Yes, it appears that Mike Love and I work like repelling magnets.  He arrives in my country as I arrive in his.

But if I were here, I would go and fight all that repels.

Some of the best:

BW Hollywood Bowl Pet Sounds orchestral gig, 2000 - VDP conducted his own BW suite and graciously chatted to me at the after-show party until security removed me. Marred only by drunken folks in nearby seats singing along out of tune and drunk. Otherwise mind blowing.

BW Glasgow Pet Sounds gig 2002 - his first proper uk solo gig and an absolute rush. We danced, the band thrilled, and magical things happened.

BW RfH gigs same year (was it 4 or 6 of them) when fans came together like a family and the music united us all.

2004 Smile UK gigs in London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham (10 in all) - history made

BBs Knebworth 1980 - my first; superb night.

BBs C50 shows in London (2) - possibly be best gigs ever attended.

BBs 2015 shows in Manchester and London - the tour on which for me the "touring" Beach Boys proved they were the real deal  - simply stellar.

I saw M+B at Ravinia in Chicago in 2014. My friend and I had lawn seats, so we could hardly see the stage, but we were having a great time nonetheless. All of a sudden, these three girls come up to us, and offer us their tickets, claiming they only came to see the temptations (who had played before the BBs). How could we resist?

It turns out the seats were incredible! We were three rows back from the stage, and from now on I've claimed---

We were so close we could see Mike and Bruce's wrinkles!

It was a great night, and the band sounded fantastic. Highlights were Bruce singing Disney Girls, Jeff on Why Do Fools Fall In Love, and BELIEVE IT OR NOT- BRUCE PLAYED BASS ON GOD ONLY KNOWS. I couldn't believe my eyes.