Any reunion pipe dreams aside, what this really says is the priority of the cancelled UK dates to Brian's management.......

This could all simply be incorrect, but I read on here once that Bruce attended Brian's first smile performance in 2004 but did not perform obviously.

Also FYI Blondie's Facebook page just announced he's gonna be on all the Brian and Al dates this upcoming fall/winter.

Wow! That's gonna be something! 

Just got 2nd row seats with a student discount probably just a pinch behind Brian's keyboard......SO EXCITED!!!

I think we're going to get a longer show as the tour picks up. Maybe a return of an intermission? I just don't see them putting this long tour together and playing this really small venues and not taking advantage of the opportunities. Curious to see what they replace Blondie's songs with too...plus, there's no opening act this time out.

The shows thus far have stayed a relatively consistent length in terms of running time, even without an opening act in Toronto or San Francisco. I don't anticipate the shows getting insanely longer. A few songs maybe. But I don't see them going from 32 or 33 songs to like 40 or 45. Would love if they did that, of course!

I was hoping for something along the line of summer 2013...39 songs...still dreaming?haha

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/brian-wilson/2013/golden-nugget-atlantic-city-nj-7bc6aaa0.html

Just got 2nd row seats with a student discount probably just a pinch behind Brian's keyboard......SO EXCITED!!!

I think we're going to get a longer show as the tour picks up. Maybe a return of an intermission? I just don't see them putting this long tour together and playing this really small venues and not taking advantage of the opportunities. Curious to see what they replace Blondie's songs with too...plus, there's no opening act this time out.

With the addition of the Richmond concert (plus the pre-existing shows in Easton PA & two in Jersey) I very highly doubt any chances of a DC/MD area concert at this point.

I really hope Brian announces a D.C. area date for this tour!!!

I'm doubtful...but in Beach Boys world you never know...

I'd imagine that if we get anymore dates at this point they will be in December and he seems to be heading back West by then.

It's tough being a music fan in the mid Atlantic.  Many promoters seem to think that DC/Baltimore/Philly/Atlantic City are all one market.  So, an artist will usually make a stop in, or near, one of those cities and that's it.  Since Brian hit Philly in late June, and is hitting AC on this tour, I'm not expecting another. 

The Warner in DC, or the Modell Lyric in Baltimore would be great venues for a BW concert. 

Dream Brian Wilson gig for us would be at the Meyerhoff...with the BSO! 

I really hope Brian announces a D.C. area date for this tour!!!

I'm doubtful...but in Beach Boys world you never know...

I'd imagine that if we get anymore dates at this point they will be in December and he seems to be heading back West by then.

This Whole World

I thought that might be it.  By-laws.  'Noise'.  Solution?  Start the show 15 minutes earlier.  It ain't that hard to figure out.

That's odd.  At the Wolf Trap show, they closed the set with Barbara Ann and Surfin USA.  Then, came back and did an encore of Kokomo and Fun Fun Fun. 

I guess it depends on the venue. 

Same at Lancaster...come to think of it, I've never seen ANY beach boy NOT do an encore..... 

I've been looking at the setlists on setlist.fm.  I'm glad to see that the Mike and Bruce (and sometimes David) Beach Boys seem to have gotten away from the 33 song surf/car sets.  I see they're doing between 40-50 songs at most shows. 

I did notice that they don't do In My Room.  Does anyone know if there's a particular reason? 

They played "In My Room" in Lancaster but it was the first time I'd ever heard it outside of C50. So out of my six M&B shows, only once has it been played.

Until this summer, I thought perhaps they just simply didn't do it. I would guess it falls into the category of songs that Mike only likes to play at select venues. I know he's incredibly particular about this.

Scott no longer on Mike's right?

In Lancaster it was... (L-R)

Jeff  Bruce  Mike  Scott  David

Attended a daytime show at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA yesterday. 

The band took the stage at 3pm.  It was a pleasant surprise to see David Marks onstage with the group. 

The good:

The band was great.  I honestly went into this show with low expectations after seeing Brian two months ago.  But, I have to say that they did a great job recreating the classic BB sound. 

A two hour setlist of over 40 songs with some surprises - Farmer's Daughter, Good to My Baby, I'm So Young (I've been trying my best to avoid setlists)

I really liked the presentation with the vintage footage on the video board.  The tribute to Carl is very touching.  I also liked how the band intro was the original version of Surfin merging with the current live group.  That was neat, and a nice way to open the show. 

The bad:

Not much of a tribute to Dennis.  They played to a tape of him singing Do You Wanna Dance, but it was barely acknowledged.

Nothing between 1970-1973, one of my favorite time periods of Beach Boys music.  Hardly anything post Pet Sounds (I know that's a common gripe about the touring BB, but I'd heard that the sets were a little more varied this summer, and looking at setlist.fm, some of them were, but not this show). 

Overall, I think it was a very good show.  I'd go see them again next summer if the show is a little closer to me.  But, unless I knew for a fact they'd be doing some early 70s numbers, I wouldn't drive too far to see them.  Especially since, for a smaller venue, it was tough getting out of the parking lot. 

I'd also like to see The Beach Boys do a better job with advertising their shows.  I didn't realize that they played Selbyville, DE earlier in the summer.  That's a stones throw from Ocean City, Maryland, so that would've been an easy show for me to attend if I had been able to plan it during an OC visit.

They also played a show at a nearby Casino in Hanover, MD.  That show wasn't even on The Beach Boys official website. 

But, overall, if you're a Beach Boys fan, and there's a show near you, set aside any band member prejudices and go see it. 

There is a Video of this show (well parts of) with over an hour of footage on Youtube - All good stuff BUT who is the Sax player ? is he a permanent addition ?

Andrew Clark is appearing at a handful of the North East dates with them this summer. He may be gone by now.

Who sings "Then I Kissed Her" at their shows?  for that matter, I'd love a breakdown of who sings what from one of the posted setlists.

From Lancaster on the 18th.... (I'll leave out Mike's leads, as his are obvious)

Bruce Johnston
-Surfer Girl
-Please Let Me Wonder
-You're So Good To Me
-Sloop John B
-Disney Girls

Brian E.
-Farmer's Daughter
-Good To My Baby
-I'm So Young
-Then I Kissed Her
-I Can Hear Music

Scott Totten
-Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
-The Ballad of Ole Betsy
-Wouldn't it Be Nice

Jeffrey Foskett
-Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
-Darlin'
-Don't Worry Baby
-Wouldn't it Be Nice
-Good Vibrations

John Cowsill
-California Dreamin'
-Help Me Rhonda

Quick review of today's wolf trap show. Since the show was at 3 I was expecting a short set but instead we got 42 songs and two hours of fantastic music! Crowd was very energetic and sold out including lawn. Let Him Run Wild was the deep cut we got and man was I happy to hear it, wanted to hear that song live for so long Scott does an amazing job on it. We also got It's Ok and Don't Back Down which are semi deep cuts. Please Let Me Wonder, Kiss Me Baby, I'm So Young and You're So Good To Me were also in the set but the seem like semi regulars now. Great show amazing once more, once again no matter what side you're on M&B do an amazing job and with David there the band is even better.

Not a bad set at all! I've yet to hear "Let Him Run Wild", but looking at the full set online I think I'm happier with what I got in Lancaster, several more I hadn't heard before on that list than VA. Glad you got so many great chances this summer!!

[us]

It's remarkable how much people care about this. It really speaks volumes for what the music means to us all.

But I don't know of any other fan base SO extremely divided. So divided to the point that someone like myself that appreciates both "sides" is not really accepted by either for that sole purpose alone.

On a live stage (and a live stage ONLY) I think those most crucial to creating a live Beach Boys experience should be considered on the following scale of importance

1. Mike Love- He is what the world thinks of when they think Beach Boys on stage, whether we like it or not.
2. Brian Wilson- He is what most of us dream of when we think Beach Boys on stage. To the general public, they clearly don't care. Why else would M&B sell out at venues that Brian does not sell out?
3. Al Jardine- He is the secret weapon of legitimacy. Not because of his name, or his duration in the band, but because of that amazingly well kept voice of his.
4. David Marks- He's the odd one. I truthfully cannot tell if David wants to participate with any touring band fulltime. I think it means more to us than it does to him.
5. Bruce Johnston- Let's face it...Bruce is kind of the original faceless Beach Boy. His swap on the live scene in '65 and his sticking with the band is largely responsible for why Brian Wilson is number two on this list.

So right now, The Beach Boys have the most and least important living members in the band, according to my scale...while Brian's band maintains #2 and #3. So what's the answer? There isn't much time. If you love the music, see and hear who you can while you can because we can all agree on one thing:

It cannot get any better.

Also, does anybody know if Blondie slated to appear at the October shows?

FWIW, it doesn't look like Darian will be at any of the fall shows - he's touring with The Zombies at the same time:
https://www.facebook.com/FanClubforTheZombiesOfficial/posts/1645535949027941

Another tour I'm pissed about missing this fall!

It would seem obvious that between Sept. 11th and Oct. 9th Brian would bring play his way across the country from one coast to the other, literally. But in Beach Boys world...who knows....besides, that would give approximately about 3-6 weeks for tickets to sell.

This was my sixth time seeing Mike and Bruce and was hands down the best of all six. Don't get me wrong, C50 is still the end all be all...none of these solo endeavors will top that. But this was definitely the best Mike and Bruce I've seen.

The audience sucked. That's the only negative comment I have and I knew I'd have that going into it. The crowds at The American Music Theatre are old country bumpkins that want to hear Fun, Fun, Fun...but leave before they play it......anyway!

I arrived at the venue at 7pm (showtime was 8pm) and I just happened to be walking by and notice a few people still waiting by the stage door. Next thing I know, here comes Mike! There were two autograph hounds there with huge stacks of LP's and one of the band's guys was really grinding them. Mike said he wasn't signing anything, I'm guessing because they were there and silently went in the stage door...honestly, he looked like he had just woke up! I was informed that everyone else was already inside.

The sound in this theatre is marvelous. However, everyone in the band (except Mike) were constantly complaining to their soundman about their monitor levels literally all night long. It was exceptionally more than usual. The opening surf "medley" (though none of the songs truly connected) felt a little shaky, but all the guys were loose and having fun with it. They never announced it as such, but after "Surfer Girl" and "Farmer's Daughter" they did 8 consecutive songs from 1965, I'm guessing to honor the anniversary? "Please Let Me Wonder" and "Kiss Me Baby" were exceptionally gorgeous. Ike is absolutely an upgrade from Randel in the touring band. He took leads on "Farmer's Daughter" "I'm So Young" and a few other spots...but it was just so crisp yet soulful...very comparable to Mr. Wilson...

Jeff & Scott both sounded great on their leads which were often shared with one another. The last time I saw them, there was a cold going around the band and it showed...this was lightyears better. I'd like to hear more from John Cowsill who now only sings "California Dreamin'" and "Help Me Rhonda".....at least bring back "Wild Honey"! We did get some post Pet-Sounds "deep cuts" (I'm a bit liberal with that term here) in the second set like "Disney Girls" "I Can Hear Music" and most notably, "All This is That". I also greatly appreciated the absence of "Rock and Roll Music" and "Do You Wanna Dance"...totally unnecessary.

So the big draw for me was having David Marks there and as said previously here, he is under-used. His leads are so brilliant...but we didn't get many of them. He only sang "Getcha Back" and spent much of the second set off stage...maybe he wants it that way, I was just hoping there would be more from him.

So on the encore, a few folks started to gather at the edge of the stage and naturally my girlfriend and I got right down in front of Bruce. Him and Mike were incredibly interactive with us and others during the encore and she especially enjoyed it, having never been close like that before. Bruce must have seen me getting my photograph out during "Fun, Fun, Fun" because he immediately looked at me and made an autograph motion ith his hand. I waved him over and pointed to David on the picture and he took it right over to him! David signed and it and then passed it to Mike who was between them...now, Mike and Bruce have already signed this picture (my C50 meet and greet photo).....but Mike signed it again...right over Brian in the picture. I'd like to think it was an honest mistake  

As they were walking off I called up to Mike and asked for a setlist off the floor, he obliged and sent a roadie over to pull it up and give it to me...of course, then four other folks wanted one...sorry for the long write-up, but I know I always like to read what folks experience on here, so hopefully some of you appreciate this too!

The setlist posted at setlist.com or whatever is accurate as seen here: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-beach-boys/2015/american-music-theatre-lancaster-pa-63f7f217.html

Well, got a pair of tix for tomorrow night in Lancaster again...David Marks WILL be appearing with them and it should be on the longer side.

David adds so much musically to this group...I couldn't resist. Hoping for "All I Wanna Do"...also hoping to get David's signature on my C50 meet and greet pic like Mike and Bruce's.

Also got a ticket for Lancaster even though I was already scheduled to see them this Sunday in Virginia. Agree that David Marks being there and the potential for a longer theater show convinced me to make the 2 hour drive. Already heard All I Wanna Do Live but since in my top 5 BB songs would love to hear it again. Thinking we'll see a 40+ song set so I'm sure we'll get some other deep cuts.

Nice! I went on the website today and pulled up tenth row dead center aisle seats just like that! Seems they're all gone now!

I considered Wolf Trap but I really do not like the staff or customer care at all down there. I had a very bad experience at Ringo's stop there last year. Plus, it's an afternoon show...I suspect it will be a pretty standard set. But I do have high hopes for a handful of deepcuts tomorrow night!

Yeah the afternoon start time kinda threw me off at Wolf Trap but it should be an enjoyable Sunday so I just went with some lawn tix, I'm sure it will be a meat and potatoes 38 song in and out set but David Marks will also be there and man for some reason he makes things a lot better haha. Still between the two I'm sure I'll get some deep cuts I've never heard.

Absolutely! All I Wanna Do, Till I Die, You Still Believe in Me...any one (or all!) of them would really mean a lot to me!

Have you ever waited around for the guys outside afterwards? I was lucky enough to have Mr. Scott Totten's help in getting Mike and Bruce's autographs but I worry about the short notice this time, he may not be able to help me...

Well, got a pair of tix for tomorrow night in Lancaster again...David Marks WILL be appearing with them and it should be on the longer side.

David adds so much musically to this group...I couldn't resist. Hoping for "All I Wanna Do"...also hoping to get David's signature on my C50 meet and greet pic like Mike and Bruce's.

Also got a ticket for Lancaster even though I was already scheduled to see them this Sunday in Virginia. Agree that David Marks being there and the potential for a longer theater show convinced me to make the 2 hour drive. Already heard All I Wanna Do Live but since in my top 5 BB songs would love to hear it again. Thinking we'll see a 40+ song set so I'm sure we'll get some other deep cuts.

Nice! I went on the website today and pulled up tenth row dead center aisle seats just like that! Seems they're all gone now!

I considered Wolf Trap but I really do not like the staff or customer care at all down there. I had a very bad experience at Ringo's stop there last year. Plus, it's an afternoon show...I suspect it will be a pretty standard set. But I do have high hopes for a handful of deepcuts tomorrow night!

Well, got a pair of tix for tomorrow night in Lancaster again...David Marks WILL be appearing with them and it should be on the longer side.

David adds so much musically to this group...I couldn't resist. Hoping for "All I Wanna Do"...also hoping to get David's signature on my C50 meet and greet pic like Mike and Bruce's.

Whenever I've seen M&B I've only ever heard his keyboard on "Disney Girls" and it's on a delightfully horrible 80's EP setting that should have been ditched 25 years ago...

Unless (God forbid) something tragic happens, I will be incredibly shocked if this is his last US tour. No doubt it will slow down year after year, but to stop this machine? No way.

Totally agree. In my opinion right at this moment in time, Al Jardine is the most important living Beach Boy on stage.

If Al and Dave could tour with Mike and Bruce full time as "The Beach Boys", Mike could easily dismiss Foskett (Ike & Scott have the falsetto covered)...and in a dream world, Brian Wilson would fit back into the equation when health/schedules suited!  But seriously.....