Hi all, I haven’t been here in ages. Nice to be back.

I will be going to California (LA area) for the first time ever later this month. At the top of my list is doing some kind of tour of important BB sites. I feel like I’m the past I’ve seen posts and YouTube videos documenting similar trips that other people have done, but now that I’m searching I can’t find anything. So, I’m looking for tips!  I unfortunately won’t have days and days to do all this so would appreciate any tips on how to maximize my time and see the best sites in the lost logical way (hopefully winning criss crossing the greater LA region multiple times). I know I can google map this out but thought I would ask folks here in case anyone has done a similar tour.

Id love to do a comprehensive tour, but since I don’t have endless amounts of time, I’m trying to prioritize. A few of the top sites I’d really like to see:

The house on Laurel Way
The cemetery where Carl is buried
Capitol Records building
Paradise Cove

Also wondering if it’s worth going to Hawthorne and seeing the monument?

Any BB-related bands that will be playing in the area in late December?

All tips and ideas are welcome. Thanks!

“Mr Clean Living” looking high af and smoking a cigarette.

i don't think Mike has ever denied doing a little reefer back in the day. He drew the line at hard drugs - and more power to him.
I find it odd that we diss the guy with the courage of good sense to stay away from cocaine and heroin and all the other bad stuff, while the worst abusers are thought of as nearly saintly.
At least Carl was strong enough to get off whatever he was on in Australia. I sure wish Dennis had followed his example.

The only reason anyone is dissing Mike is because he make such a stink about being clean living and he’s always criticizing the Wilson brothers’ substance use, when in the meantime he used drugs and smoked cigarettes too. In other words, people are criticizing his hypocrisy.

I’d also note that equating being able to get off hard drugs with “strength” is not accurate. Drug use and addiction have a lot of factors and putting it down to “strength” is essentially making a moral judgement about it.

I’m noticing several posts that mention how well Brian seemed to be during the 2021 shows. I have to say that I saw him in October 2021 and, while it was overall a really good show, I had the sense that he wasn’t very comfortable. I recall at the very end of the concert he said something to Matt and it just seemed like he badly wanted/needed to wrap up. I wondered at the time if it was going to be the last time I saw him, which gives an indication that his demeanour and overall presence was not what I would have hoped. His voice was definitely better in 2021 but he was not very engaged (at least at the show I saw). I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t necessarily agree that there has been a rapid decline in his demeanour or stage presence. I’ve seen him every year - literally - since 2015 including this summer’s tour, and certainly in the last couple of years I think there’s been an overall downward trajectory, albeit with some exceptions and blips every so often. 

I saw the July 13 show in Camden and have been meaning to post my thoughts. As with many of the other reviews I’ve seen, at this particular show Brian sang very little. If I recall correctly, he did California Girls, parts of Do It Again, Be My Baby, and Heroes and Villains. He sang GOK but, as others have noted, really struggled with the higher parts and ended up dropping them down an octave, which didn’t sound great. I will say that his voice sounded pretty strong on H&V. I had really good seats and was seated directly in front of Brian, so I could see his facial expressions very clearly. While he did not interact with the audience much at all (I think he might have said one thing), he was definitely engaged in the sense that he was watching the other band members quite intently and obviously listening to them. All in all, my opinion (based on this particular show and also having seen him every year for the past several years) is that he probably does want to tour, but quite frankly, his vocal abilities are becoming quite limited. Which is not really that surprising considering his age and physical ailments and the fact that singing requires a fair bit of physical strength. I came away from the Camden show thinking that this may be it for Brian and touring - not because of mental health, but because his voice just isn’t really there anymore. Of course, I could be wrong but that’s what I saw. He DID try on a number of songs but it just wasn’t happening and when he did sing, he seemed to be struggling. It is indeed very sad but just one of those things that comes with aging and other physical ailments.  I’m sure it’s very difficult for him to not be able to do the things he used to do.

I am continually impressed by how tough this man is and, as an aside, I am SO sick of seeing comments (not here, more on Facebook and whatnot) mentioning the walker. It amazes me that people have no qualms about making these really ableist comments about the walker as though anyone who uses an assistive device should be hidden away at home and not in the public eye. It’s so offensive.

Al’s voice is still great but certainly there has been a decline in the last year or two. Again, this is to be expected given their ages. On the other hand, Blondie still sounds amazing, but then again I think he’s several years younger than Brian and Al and I think that makes a huge difference.

Yes, Jimmy is the trombone player and an original member of Chicago. He has been there for most of the tour but disappeared sometime shortly after July 4. I’ve read on Facebook that it may be related to shoulder surgery.

That’s really too bad that they aren’t mixing things up a bit. I’m too young to have gone to the previous Beachago tours, and thought this would be the next best thing. The band members are obviously all talented and flexible enough that I’d think it would be easy for, for instance, Al to come out and do backing vocals or a verse on one or two Chicago songs, or vice versa with Robert Lamm doing a BB song. Like they did during Beachago shows. Seems a big shame to me not to take advantage of the fact that you have arguably the two greatest American rock/pop bands touring together! 

I’m seeing them tomorrow night and am still looking forward to it, but feel like I miscalculated. I thought about going to one of the very early shows, but then figured that they'd be more likely to loosen up as the tour went on and there’d be a greater chance of them doing some interesting stuff. Guess I was made the wrong call. I saw the last show of the Something Great tour with the Zombies, and for the encore everyone from both bands was out on stage together! 

I’ll update later with better phrased thoughts.

I had never seen Brian, Al, and Blondie perform H&V so I was shocked when Matt sang Cantina.

I echo earlier posters that there was kind of a confused ‘who takes lead vocal’ if Brian doesn’t - Matt stepped in fairly quickly to fill the void though.

Brian occasionally moved down to bass vocals when it appeared he felt he couldn’t hit the high notes, such as GOK and GV.

Unfortunately time is catching up with Al, as Awesoman put it.

Most popular songs were SJB, GOK, and the rock and roll ending few.

Chicago’s horns no longer play on Darlin’.

No L&M.

Matt talks a lot with the sound guy off the side of the stage about the mic levels.

Darian and the band kicked ass as usual.

I got to thank Darian and Paul and fistbump Darian, who may have smiled at my PS 2017 shirt.

Very sorry to read that the Chicago horn section didn’t join for Darlin’. I’m seeing them tomorrow and as a huge fan of both bands, the “cross pollination” aspect is what I’ve been most looking forward to. Perhaps it’s because Jimmy Pankow has been absent?  Was there any mixing of the bands at all?

Offsider as in a fellow South African and member of The Flame. Their individual musical abilities didn’t even get considered.
A classic case of lost in translation. A friend and partner best describes my countries definition.

Ah!  Yes, the joys of English, where a word means one thing in one country and a completely different thing in another. Point taken!

Off topic, but for anyone wondering what Blondies off-sider Ricky is up to, he was backing Bonnie Raitt last night on Stephen Colbert’s show.

https://youtu.be/fvufkSHyM-Y

Maybe you’re just joking, but calling Ricky an offsider is a bit of a putdown, considering one could argue that Ricky is a better musician than Blondie (and I say that as a huge fan of Blondie).  I can’t remember where, but I’ve read interviews with Carl where he talks about Ricky being able to play anything. Like, he came across a steel pedal guitar for the first time and within hours was playing it competently. That kind of thing. I believe he was playing drums professionally as a child and won a contest for South Africa’s best drummer or something like that. He’s a pretty outstanding musician. He’s been part of BR’s band for years.

I really hope someone here posts a review of one of the Beachago shows (and yes, that’s how I’m referring it). Very surprised to see such a short set list from Chicago and also surprised they played first. Maybe they are repeating the format of previous Beachago tours where they would alternate which band played first or second. Does anyone know if there was any cross-pollination of the bands, so to speak?  I’m hoping they’ll swap leads on a couple of songs or do an encore together…

Wendy sang lead on Sail on Sailor. Bobby did not sing lead on anything. The set list posted looks correct, to my recollection. Will post more later.

I just checked the tickets for the Bethesda MD show and am kinda shocked at how many seats are still available ...

Anyone know of a presale code?

I got VIP tickets to the most recent concert and Ticketmaster sent me too much merchandise (possibly the first time in history that anyone has gotten anything "for free" from TM).  Anyway, I don't need multiples of this stuff so am wondering if there's anyone in the DC area that would like it?  I could do a contactless pickup in DC.  A small-sized poster, two laminated tickets and a commemorative coin.  

Also up for grabs are two BB shirts that my husband no longer wears.  Just ones from Target - nothing fancy.  Would fit men M/L.  

I got VIP tickets to the most recent concert and Ticketmaster sent me too much merchandise (possibly the first time in history that anyone has gotten anything "for free" from TM).  Anyway, I don't need multiples of this stuff so am wondering if there's anyone in the DC area that would like it?  I could do a contactless pickup in DC.  A small-sized poster, two laminated tickets and a commemorative coin. 

Also up for grabs are two BB shirts that my husband no longer wears.  Just ones from Target - nothing fancy.  Would fit men M/L. 

This as really fun but I’m too embarrassed to post my score! 

Sorry, I should have been more precise. I realize that Carl did try to help and Brian, in his own way, probably did too.  What I meant to say is that by all accounts neither of them was very well equipped to tackle the particular problem of addiction.

Why didn't Brian and Carl help him beat his addictions? Have you heard the expression "that's like the blind leading the blind"?

The reporter talking about music that’s “perfect for beach parties” with a facial expression that looks like he should be reporting on a tragic accident is amazing.

Yes the prices for the DC show are brutal.  But…after a year and a half of no live music, I’m desperate to go.  Which I suspect Ticketmaster is banking on.

I'm pretty ambivalent about these two albums but if forced to choose I guess I'd choose 15BO.

The question did, however, make me realize that my favorite song off each is an Al song (Suzie Cincinnati and Lady Lynda).

Not much..but Mike Love put up a Facebook post when his band returned in June 2019 to play the Lucerna Concert Hall, Prague (the venue for the first of their 3 concerts in the country back in 1969).
It said...


"FREE TO ROCK

Sunday night had to be one of the most amazing events of our career. Fifty years ago (June 17th 1969), The Beach Boys performed in Czechoslovakia at the Lucerna Great Hall in Prague. Our three performances in the country were the first by a western rock band behind The Iron Curtain.

That concert is indelibly imprinted in my memory. The memories are not only of the show, as our first impressions were formed during our landing. We chartered a plane in London to fly to Prague. It was the most intimidating sight that I have witnessed in thousands of landings. To the left side of the runway were dozens of Russian MiG-19 and MiG-21 fighter jets and to right were dozens of Russian T-55 and T-62 tanks. This was obviously staged by the Soviet military to intimidate…and it did. A year earlier, Operation Danube was a joint invasion of Czechoslovakia by nearly 250,000 troops from five Warsaw Pact countries – the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany and Hungary.

Despite all that they had been through, the people of Czechoslovakia welcomed us with open arms. We represented rock ‘n roll, the USA and something in short supply at the time – freedom. How fitting that we were promoting our new single, Break Away, which we performed that night I will never forget the concert at Lucerna Great Hall on June 17th, 1969. The audience response was thunderous, the hall was jam-packed and there was no air conditioning. The walls and pillars of the 1920’s hall were damp from the humidity of humanity. In our entire career, we’ve never had a more tumultuous reception.

Sunday night, we performed in that in that very same hall. And at midnight we celebrated the 50th anniversary of that monumental concert. Not much has changed in that in that historic hall…but outside those walls, it’s a different story. Freedom reigns in the beautiful countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Once again, we felt the love and appreciation. A total emotional experience for all of us.

The film, Free to Rock, was released in 2017 and The Beach Boys are a part of that amazing documentary. The film was produced by Jim Brown and shows the power of music to create freedom. I am proud, yet humbled, to know that our music has connected with the hearts of millions, regardless of race and religion, language, ethnicity or geography. People feel the love, as we do, every night. It is said that home is where the heart is… and Sunday night back in Prague, we were home.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4287080/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl "

Thanks!  I hadn’t seen that post of Mike’s.

There is a book by Dick Heckstall-Smith, the saxophonist from Colosseum, "The Safest Plece in the World", which has the first-hand account of a working musician; it includes some BB-related anecdotes like having to rely on a battery from a Soviet tank for their PA, and a rather huge section on a socio-political analysis - but it must be said that he was a "tankie".

Thanks so much!  I had never heard of this so will check it out. 

Hi all, I'm trying to find out if anything of any length has been written about the Czechoslovakia concerts in 1969 (Prague, Bratislava and Brno).  I've read the thread in which Stephen Desper provides excellent information on the Prague show, but wonder if anyone has written anything else in any depth that touches on the political aspects of an American band playing in Czechoslovakia at that time.  Thanks in advance. 

Do we know why Brian wasn’t involved?

Isn't it obvious?

If it was obvious to me, I wouldn’t have asked.  He’s posted a few videos of him singing at home (at least he did earlier in the quarantine) so I’m not sure why there wouldn’t be a snippet of him here. 

Do we know why Brian wasn’t involved?