The Smiley Smile Message Board

Looks like Bruce is missing a few shows coming up.

From Mike's Facebook

Hey Boys & Girls,
I am feeling a little under the weather, but I'll be back on the stage before you know it.
See you soon,
Bruce Johnston

I second that - get well, Bruce!

No fun being sick, hope you feel better asap, Bruce!

That's concerning. I hope it isn't serious.  Get well soon Bruce!

Wishing Bruce the best and praying for his swift recovery!

Sincerely hoping this is just a temporary setback. All the very best, Bruce.   

How many Bruce-less shows has Mike done since 1998? I recall Bruce was out for a bit in the early-mid 2000s due to surgery or some such?

I wonder if this was coincidental with Stamos rejoining Mike for additional shows this month.

D'you mean Stamos may have poisoned Bruce?

I suppose it's possible. He seems the type.

Guys, please. Give it a break! :thud

Get well Bruce - I'll be clapping for you!

Apologies

Get well soon Bruce. :)

I sure hope Bruce is alright. Surfers' Pajama Party is awesome, and despite his all around general douchiness he's made some nice contributions to music. So hopefully all is well. Wishing him a quick recovery.

Get well, Bruce.

  What a gracious get well wish.

Get well Bruce!

Am currently listening to Take It To Mexico (Tulsa County Blue)

Get well soon Bruce!

Hang on Brucey, Brucey, hang on!   :afro

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

Ill hold the microphone for ya till you return.. Love ya Bruce.. Get well soon..

Are the Bruce-less shows just Mike????

I can be alright with the BBs being Mike and Bruce, but just Mike is weird.

I know a similar thing happened in 2005, and Dean Torrence filled in for Bruce, which I think is fine. I'd take Torrence over Stamos, in terms of having a convincing BBs band. Dean's singing is crucial to the California Sound even if he wasn't in the BBs

Get Well Soon, Bruce!

Even the most staunch defenders of Mike and his touring band would have to admit Bruce adds little musically to the live shows, and that this has been the case for eons. He may not always be quite as superfluous as it appears; he may well be adding a bit of a bed of backing vocals and sometimes some keyboard (though I recall Howie Edelson pointing to an interview he did with Bruce where Bruce indicated his keyboard playing was for *himself* more than the band), and occasionally he adds his falsetto bits.

But let's be honest, ever since the early-mid 80s when the backing band members started outnumbering the actual "Beach Boys" on stage, Bruce has been to varying degrees kind of superfluous. Make no mistake, he *could have* easily handled a heavier load, doing more lead vocals, etc. Why he has been relegated since he rejoined in 1978 to usually 1-2 leads (and sometimes NONE) at live shows, while having Meros/Hinsche, etc. doing the heavy lifting on keyboards, I honestly don't know.

Back circa 1979/1980, you could still hear Bruce and his Wurlitzer electric piano pretty heavy in the mix. But by the time the backing band ballooned to Meros/Hinsche/Foskett/Cannata, etc. (and sub in the names of the current guys in the band now), Bruce has been somewhat of an ornamentation (ironically in the last 20 years serving a slightly similar role to what Brian did at shows circa 1979/1980).

I've wondered for a number of years whether Mike would have any qualms about continuing on without Bruce. I hope Bruce isn't having any serious problems and that he recovers (if a significant recovery is even needed; I actually hope he's not even dealing with something particularly nefarious), but I don't think much would change either in terms of the on-stage sound or the "fan" attitude (meaning fans who presently attend Mike's shows) if Bruce wasn't in the band. There's no longer (as far as I'm aware) anything in the touring band name license that requires a "second" Beach Boy to be there.

I can't imagine being *fine* with only Mike and Bruce using the name, but somehow only finally drawing the line because Bruce is gone. The name was watered down years ago once it continued in 1998 without Carl and Al.

My comment in a previous post about Stamos was only to wonder aloud whether he was already scheduled to do his routine random stints with Mike prior to whatever it is that came up with Bruce, or if instead Bruce let it be known he had to miss some shows and then Stamos was called. I would guess more the former, because even whatever little bit that Bruce adds to the show is something Stamos can't do. I don't believe Stamos regularly (or ever?) actually is added to the middle of the harmony stack at shows, and the band certainly doesn't need *another* guitarist.

I do wonder, if Bruce has to miss a more extended period of shows, if Mike might call David Marks in.

Oh well. I think he's a douchenozzle. But I also think he's a talented guy who has made some nice music. And while I hope that he stays in good health, I don't think he's the greatest man who ever lived. I think he's been very disrespectful to those who make his lifestyle possible and ergo, I don't think he deserves to be sainted.

However, I hope he sticks around for a long, long time.

Yeah, I think it's quite possible to loathe (or have mixed feelings at best) about someone while still wishing them well.

Bruce is clearly, in some ways, a complicated, weird guy. It isn't as simple as his being a douchebag all the time. Sometimes he's the *nicest* guy of them all, and then other times the meanest. As interviewers have pointed out, he vacillates between treasuring the hardcore fans, and then trying to impress them, and then making fun of them for caring in the first place ("one percenters", "bottom feeders", etc.). Then there are indeed the stories of him actively antagonizing 100% innocent fans *in person*, as if he's literally flipped the switch to another personality.

Sure, a get well thread isn't the best place to sound off on the guy being a douche (witness how every "RIP" thread on the internet turns into an argument about whether all comments should stay positive; clearly it's a complicated issue), but as Bruce is hopefully going to make a quick recovery and this thread isn't so much simply a "Get Well" thread but the *only* thread currently available that is reporting he's missing some shows, and therefore discussion tends to move to what he brings to the live shows, some discussion beyond simple well-wishes is, I think, fine and appropriate.

I've often said, it's kind of stunning that in a band that includes Brian Wilson and Mike Love among others, I might still say Bruce is in many respects the weirdest guy in the band ever.

I think Bruce adds authenticity. Mike is a Beach Boy, and if he was the only Beach Boys in the group, I think it would be inappropriate to call it The Beach BOYS. Bruce is too a Beach Boy, so having two Beach Boys, justifies the name The Beach Boys. Although I'd rather have all of the living members touring together, I'm a defender of Mike's Beach Boys. The Beach Boys have NEVER been a consistent touring group. Brian, Carl, Dennis, Al, and Bruce all came and went in terms of the touring group. So as long as the group sounds good (and I think the current M&B band is one of the best sounding incarnations of the group) I'm fine with it, as long as there are multiple Beach Boys. Be it Mike and Bruce, Mike and Dave, hell- even Mike & Dean. Otherwise I would want Mike to tour as Mike Love of The Beach Boys or something like that.

We all have our own lines that we draw when it comes to use of the name.

My guess is that both folks who don't agree with Mike's use of the name as well as those are fine with it would mostly have the same attitude towards a show without Bruce, which is that it doesn't really change their outlook on the issue.

While the band never had a single consistent lineup, it's important to note that Mike, Al, and Carl were full-time members of the touring band for at least 34 years from 1963-1997 (discounting Carl's year-long absence in 1981 and random one-off instances of all of them missing gigs). So I'd say by leaps and bounds the most sweeping change in that "core" make-up of the band took place in 1998 when, in the course of a few months, two of the three long-time core members that had been there more or less since the beginning were now gone.

So I don't see Bruce's participation as a key issue one way or the other when it has been nearly 20 years since the touring band lost 67% of its original members and 50% of its "official" members.

I might feel differently if Bruce was a more prominent part of Mike's shows, or had *ever* been a prominent part of the show since rejoining in 1978 and/or since having an opportunity to come to the fore more in 1998.

I was always surprised that, when Carl and Al departed, Mike didn't push Bruce a bit more to the fore for the live shows, if only to remind people more that a long-time member was still there. Why they haven't at least had Bruce singing "Disney Girls" at *every* show instead of random shows here and there, I can't fathom.

Bruce's Disney Girls was one of the clear highlights of the recent Beacon show. A truly lovely rendition.

Feel better, Bruce!

Quick look-up indicates the only other time Bruce missed a substantial amount of shows was approximately 16 shows in September-October 2004 while recovering from surgery.

Ironically, there are relatively well-known instances of Mike, Carl, and Al all missing random shows in the 80s and 90s, yet I can't recall a report of Bruce missing any shows after rejoining the touring band in late 1978, other than those 2004 shows. It's quite possible (probable?) he missed a show here or there in all those years (as noted, even *Mike* missed some shows in 1983 and 1990 for instance).

What is clear is that if Mike needed to miss a show now, it would be once and for all a case of postponing/rescheduling the show. The Beach Boys weirdly never seemed to postpone/cancel shows even when one of their lead vocalists was missing in the 80s and 90s. Mike's gone? Meh, just have Al sing the leads. The only time they seemed to make *any* arrangements to cover for short-term absences was (for some strange reason) having Gerry Beckley join for some shows in 1990 that Mike missed (even though Beckley didn't really *fill in* for Mike in that he didn't take all of Mike's leads), and some guitarist guy standing in for Carl's lead guitar when Carl missed a few shows in, I believe, 1990.

This of course doesn't count hiring temp players for fill in for backing guys. I recall Mike hiring some guy (Brian Sutherland I believe his name was) to fill in for Christian Love a few years ago.

I am truly sorry that Bruce isn't feeling well enough to enjoy doing the things he likes to do.  I hope he enjoys a speedy recovery. 8)

[You'll notice that I don't take swipes at Bruce.] [or Carl, Dennis, David, Al or Brian...or Ricky or Blondie...or Glen for that matter.]

If Bruce leaves, does Mike continue?

  You make some reasonable points Jim. Bruce can be an odd duck. Wishing him the very best

 My guess would be yes.

I hope is Bruce goes, Mike will continue with David or at least Dean

If anyone is curious what a Bruce-less show looks like, here you go. From last night's show:

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

Two immediate thoughts:

1 - There is no reason to put McGrath's "DO IT! DO IT!" bullshit into that performance of Do It Again.

2 - If you don't care for California Cheeseburgers to begin with, if you do happen to get one, it doesn't matter as much if they forget to put the onion on it.

The Bruce-less show is depressing. It's literally JUST a Mike Love show, with Bruce you can at least call it Beach Boys, not just a Beach Boy.

Also, having Bruce gone actually makes the backing vocals sound worse... He plays an important part in creating that signature BBs harmony sound in the current group.

Looks like Stamos is filling in for Bruce for the next week or two...

I don't think it's clear whether Stamos was called due to Bruce's absence, or if Stamos was already scheduled to do one of his regular stints.

Either way, he's not in any real sense filling in for Bruce; he doesn't sing in the harmony stack and doesn't play keyboards.

While I posit this more out of amusement than intense interest, does anybody think Stamos would drop his acting deal if Mike wanted him full-time in the band? Or is the whole novelty of the thing that Stamos only drops in from time to time?

Yeah I agree. The reason i thought it was likely is because the first mention of it i could find on stamos twitter was only about 10 days ago. Also, i live in phoenix where theyre playing in a few days and there hasnt been 1 mention in the paper or anything about stamos playing, so it led me to believe this was somewhat last minute. Don't they usually announce his dates more in advance?

Also, stamos isnt an exact "fill-in" for bruce, but it seems like the BB in general don't like to have someone missing without someone replacing them. Just speculation of course. Neither would suprise me.

Brian and Al are more than available! >:D

I seriously wonder if Brian and Mike will ever speak again before one of them passes...

I haven't tracked Stamos's guest runs with Mike closely over the years. He typically does the longer runs of the shows with MIke in the summer. So I don't know how common a late summer run in September is.

They announced the Stamos dates before Mike published Bruce's bit about missing shows. But we obviously have no idea how long Bruce's thing has been going on. It's obviously none of our business, so it's unclear if he's just got a bad cold or something, or if it's something more serious.

I'm curious if Mike acknowledged last night (and/or plans to acknowledge in upcoming shows) Bruce's absence. I somehow doubt he ever mentioned in his first non-Al shows in 1998 that Al was absent, but those were obviously quite different circumstances.

I think all of us can agree it's a sad state of affairs, and considering Brian's stated attitude in 2012, it's Mike who began the estrangement.

But yeah, I can only hope they're not relegated to a Robbie Robertson-Levon Helm deathbed reconciliation (or worse, not even that).

And, at the risk of trying to give advice to a 76-year-old man that I've never met, even as hardened as Mike is and as much as he doesn't like Melinda, I think if something happened to Brian it would affect him *a lot* more than he might even be aware of. I think there are some ghosts and relationships and bonds all buried deep in all of this.

It almost certainly isn't happening, but there's still a chance to for them to personally *and* professionally ride off into the sunset together. Who knows? Let's hope Bruce just has a cold or something, but Bruce missing some gigs certainly reaffirms that the clock is ticking and has been for some time.

I'm not convinced a present-day "Beach Boys" show is much different without Bruce. But a full "reunion" show would start to look a little more chintzy if Bruce wasn't there. He was at least somewhat more prominent at C50 shows and on the TWGMTR album that he is at many if not most Mike shows.

Bruce is a good guy, who should have contributed more, both with songs and on stage. I wouldn't presume to speculate whether it was Bruce's own choice, Mike's, or group decisions. I do know that I would not attend a Mike-led show without Bruce. Not even with Stamos or Torrence, neither of whom I ever saw in concert. Seen a few Mike & Bruce shows, all in Denmark. The first time, at Tivoli, Copenhagen, when Bruce came on stage, followed by Mike and the band, I seriously worried if they could pull it off, which of course they did. At another concert in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, it was Bruce who came down to the lobby to talk to the Danish fan club, while Mike stayed in his hotel room. At the C50 in Aarhus, Denmark, it was Brian far left, followed by Mike, David, Al, and then Bruce far right. I was mainly focused on Mike and Al, and, at one point, when I did look at Bruce, he laughed, and pointed at himself, gesturing some kind of self-ironic "you're looking at me?".

I thought Stamos was going to make out with Mike at the beginning of Little Honda there. He was basically on top of him

Stamos-reason #638 to not see the myKe & Brooth tribute show. Hmmm, if the luhvster gets sick and misses all future shows  :woot , will Brian, Al, and Blondie become the Beach Boys by default? Could be an interesting can of worms to get into.

Disney Girls is always a highlight for me, I just wish he'd rotate with Tears in the Morning and Deirdre

Id love to hear Tears in the Morning live

Looks like part 2 of the youtube link posted above is available too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOnP8EiNZm8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOnP8EiNZm8)

I guess the enjoyment of this show is an acquired taste. I've watched dozens of these concert videos over the past 5 years or so, and I also think it is missing something without Bruce being there. What that is, I won't even guess. But it's something that's missing when it's not there. Most obvious Bruce isn't there to look at his watch and egg on the crowd during Mike's "wheennnnn" routine.

And this is my opinion only, as always, but it was on display on part one (in Mike's own words and the crowd reactions of parts 1 and 2) what the draw is with John Stamos. It's on full display in the crowd reactions as well as Mike's banter. If that's what makes Mike laugh all the way to the bank, so be it.

And "Forever" to me was better served in terms of Dennis and the legacy when it was the Dennis video tribute portion of Mike's shows. It's hard to see such a brilliant song co-opted into becoming the Full House song with little if any mention that Dennis wrote and recorded it with his band.

The few times I've seen it Stamos mentions Dennis when he sings it, this time dedicating it to his girlfriend and then saying he hopes he gets lucky or whatever... that's complete garbage and disrespectful honestly and normally I don't mind Stamos but that was too much. For what it's worth David Marks did a great forever with M&B a few years back and dedicated to Dennis every time. Honestly Stamos is better off singing Good Timin' like he's done. Bruce is definitely missed in a weird way I also can't explain.

I need a beer and a shower after that...

Couldn't take one full minute of that crap. Sanitized my desktop just in case. 

Haha, you need a deep cleaner! :lol

I'll try some Gunk, the best degreaser on the shelf.

Or Pet Sounds! ;D

The harmonies sound so off without Bruce- even sour.

I was watching that Washington State Fair part 2 clip, and Little Deuce Coupe didn't sound as good as it normally does. I think Bruce plays a larger role than many of us give him credit for, even if it's simply filling out the harmonies. I think the absence of Bruce's keyboard makes no difference, because who knows if its even plugged in, but the vocals are really desperate of someone who can sing those BBs middle harmonies be it Bruce or Al...

Anyway, I'm a huge supporter of M&B but not sure how I feel about just Mike & Stamos, and thats not meant to diss Stamos... I don't think Dean Torrence is playing much right now, he could probably fill in for Bruce's parts. Dean normally sings falsetto, but he's been playing BBs songs since J&D covered two BBs tracks on their J&D TAKE LINDA SURFIN album in '63, so he probably knows the harmonies inside and out. Plus, Dean does a great lead on Little Deuce Coupe, which I'd love to see him do in 2017 with The Beach Boys, not to mention the falsetto on Barbara Ann.

***Also Mike f***ed up the lyrics on I Get Around and I don't think I've ever heard him mess up lyrics before.... Maybe having Bruce gone is throwing him off too?

M&B should retire....

I disagree. Under normal circumstances, The Beach Boys touring band does a great job of performing the music the way it sounds on the record- credit mostly to Scott Totten.

Despite still being bitter about his inexcusable blow-up at me last month, I will take this moment to wish Bruce a speedy recovery...the band needs him. Those clips solidify two things...first, his voice is crucial. I'm stunned that they're just letting that go. You'd think that somewhere in the vast universe of the Beach Boys, they could've found somebody on the West Coast that could sing those harmony parts. Second, his keyboard is utterly inconsequential to the audience mix. He is playing sometimes, but I sat right in front of him for the whole show last month and studied his motions. I did not hear one note from his keyboard the whole night. If this is what the future looks like, Mike will need to make lineup changes again to even out the harmonies.

I totally agree about his keyboard, however Scott Totten told me that Bruce is plugged in audible on Darlin (main piano), certain parts of Good Vibrations, and Disney Girls. Maybe Scott is just saying this to keep up Bruce's reputation, but I honestly doubt that he would lie to me.

Well beyond the time, like 1998, for those two to throw in the sponge and get outta the business. Go ahead mYke, make my day.  >:D

That's kinda sad...3 songs from in my mind the best keyboard player the BB ever had.  He's a great harmony singer and he's missed big time in those clips.

Yeah, Bruce is an incredible keyboardist

Scott gave me the same reply several years ago too. When they play "Disney Girls" I can hear his cheesy electric piano sound...but I've watched for him on Darlin & GV and I can't pick anything out that he's doing. I guess it's just me!

Also, "Be True To Your School" - I've noticed Tim only plays organ and synth solo parts on that one, leaving the piano part to Bruce. On "Good Vibes", it's the tack piano bridge part that Bruce plays live.

Just in my opinion, it doesn't help the "Bruce is important instrumentally in the live shows" argument to find the five moments in the show where he's actually playing something and it's mixed into the live mix. Like Al with his guitar, we know Bruce can play piano well. And like Al, I've always just thought of Bruce's stage instrument since the mid 80s or so mainly as a way to allow him to sing without looking weird by just standing there with no instrument.

It's the same as even Brian and the debates since 1999 about what Brian plays or doesn't play. We know Brian can play piano/keyboard. So it's not a question of ability. It's just a question of stage presentation.

With Al or Brian, they play integral parts in their live shows vocally. The problem has sometimes been with Bruce that, especially on the shorter shows where he sings one or no leads, it starts standing out that he seems to be possibly somewhat unneeded, with the main question being how much he remains in the vocal stack. I'd say the same of Brian if he had sung no leads on C50; why even have him there then?

I think all of these guys would be well-served to do some small-scale gigs completely solo, sort of almost a "Q & A" sort of thing with a host/moderator, who could ask them questions and then prompt them to play songs with solo accompaniment. Al did this a bit back around 2012 with some record store appearances. Brian and Bruce could do something like this as well.

I'd rather hear Brian or Bruce or Al do even half-aborted solo live performances of songs as they discuss their life and career than see them burp through "Barbara Ann" again.

Yeah there's no doubt they can play, and that for Brian, Al, and Bruce their instruments are for comfort or show. Here's what I think...

1. Brian's keyboard was inaudible in 1999, but even since the SMiLE tour his keyboard is audible, when he decides to play. On the SMiLE tour he did the Wind Chimes solo, and actually when I saw him in 2014 he and Scott did a piano-duet-solo type thing during Barbara Ann. I also think Brian's bass has been audible when he played the encore, and he just played the root notes of the chords.

2. Al's guitar is extremely buried in the mix. When he plays its probably to just fill out the sound, or give him something to do. HOWEVER, he has played lead on Sail On Sailor and Fun, Fun, Fun quite often.

3. Bruce's keyboard is audible for the specific songs where he's needed (tack piano on GV, main piano Be True, main piano Darlin,  DX7 on Disney Girls) but it's inaudible otherwise. Because I've seen him hit keys in between songs and there was no sound.


Again, these are just my thoughts, and I'll once again mention that Brian's actually one hell of a bass player, Al is a solid rhythm guitarist, and Bruce is probably the best keyboardist the group ever had. What a talented group of guys.

It would have been really weird to see a BB's concert with Carl just strumming an unamplified guitar. Even when he handed the lead over to someone else, his guitar was always in the mix.

Yeah, Carl was always crucial to sounds.

Anyone heard more details on what is keeping Bruce out? Expected return?

Well, assuming for the sake or argument that Al's guitar was often mixed low or out in the live mix and Bruce was often mixed out as well, Carl *had* to play and have his guitar up in the mix, because he was either one of only two other guitarists or the only other sole guitar player in the band for most of those years, especially by the 90s. The band was never a very guitar-heavy band, but if you look at a random show from the 90s after Foskett/Baker were gone and Matt Jardine was the falsetto guy (and didn't play guitar), you only had Al and Carl playing guitar. Ed Carter (and in the last couple years Chris Farmer) was playing bass, and then you had Meros and Hinsche (and later Bonhomme) on keys. Other than Richie Cannata on sax and occasional keys, that was it.

I hope it's nothing serious and Bruce is soon back with his favourite Mikes. :)

Aside from all the little details, I think we have confirmed that Bruce is crucial to Mike's touring act. His voice is really what makes the harmonies gel, as made obvious by the Washington State Fair clips.

Posted to Mike's facebook page this morning:

Welcome home Bruce!! It was wonderful having Bruce back home onstage with us in Sacramento!! Bruce was in well voice and form!! We missed you and happy to have you back!!
Rock on Bruce!!
Peace n Love,
Mike Love

Thanks, Marty. That's excellent news! :woot

Yay Bruce! Glad you're feeling better!  :3d

Will there be a 'Bruce is Back!' campaign?

Thanks for this excellent news!

Glad to hear that Bruce is OK!