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Author Topic: BW @ Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, 7/31  (Read 2510 times)
onkster
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« on: August 10, 2011, 11:36:19 AM »

This was a real treat for me, as I used to vacation at the Lake constantly as a kid (I live in LA now), but never happened to see a show at the Surf. (Back then, the Surf was sort of ignored/forgotten, until the Winter Dance Party thing was revived and the place got restored.) So seeing Brian at what once was our childhood's ocean was really special.

We (my sweet gf and me, plus my two daughters) got a booth, but spent most of the time out on the dance floor. My older daughter brought the fire helmet she wore to the SMiLE show at Disney Concert Hall, and we took turns waving it during the applause. (Paul and Jeff both seemed to take note of it, acknowledging us with nods and peace symbols.)

It was the same set list as the Arcada show mentioned earlier (that was the day before), but at the Surf, the sound was great, and we were able to watch from about 10-15 feet away. The show was much more affordable than the Arcada--these tix were around $35 apiece, which I consider a bargain. The band was tight, hot, and happy, and Brian was pretty much on, though he zoned out a couple times and Jeff had to take over. As mentioned in other reviews, Brian seemed to come to life much more on the Gershwin stuff, which was lovely. The crowd was a little lax on that--I suspect they probably had no idea BW even had a Gershwin album out, and were likely there for the hits. But the response was great--the Surf's manager told us the next day it was way above what he had expected, and though the show didn't sell out, the place felt very full.

Darian did a kick-ass vocal on "Darlin'"--in fact, I think it suited his range better than Carl's, and he really made it soar.

And if you haven't seen the Surf lately, the murals, booths, and dance floors have been lovingly restored. It really felt like a nice little step into the past, and of course, it's impossible not to wonder what it was like when Buddy, Ritchie, and the Bopper took the stage with their tiny amps back in the day.

For a mostly-hits show, it was pretty satisfying--I think they must have done around 38 or 39 songs total.

After the show, we had hoped to run into Brian, but he had already whisked himself away, so we watched Darian, Paul, and Scott pose for pictures and chat with fans. Scott graciously signed my SMiLE tour program, Maddy's fire helmet ("worst signature I've ever made!" he laughed), and Erica's copy of TLOS, which Scott told her he had recorded mostly in his bedroom. We snuck around back by the famous exit door, hoping to run into more tour folk, but once again, no Brian. But we did wait through Darian's long conversation with a couple that I first took to be hardcore SMiLE freaks, judging by the questions and topics I could hear over the diesel noise. (Lots of stuff about Jasper Dailey and "Teeter Totter Love"!) Then we had about five minutes with Darian, and he was extremely nice and signed autographs also. He mentioned that he had just met up with a friend he hadn't seen in 15 years--apparently the Wondermints played at that friend's wedding here--and I realized the couple must have been the bride and groom in question. I then mentioned that Brian had also been there before, in 1963 with the Beach Boys. Darian said Brian probably didn't realize this was a return trip--he said even he himself had a hard time keeping track of where they were--or even what the set list was going to be. (So apparently some curve-balls get thrown in there, despite what we see on the posted set lists...)

I thanked Darian, and he boarded the bus. Great night.

Next day, we went back to the Surf as the owner was sweeping and putting away table all by himself. Of course, we checked out the many walls of signed photos from people who had played there, and checked out the Winter Dance Party memorabilia hanging everywhere. We wanted to take some pictures of us talking on the famous "last call" phone used by Buddy and Ritchie, but it was locked that day. (It had been open the night before, but it was too busy to get pictures then.)

Then, around noon, we drove out to the actual crash site to see what that was like. And it was a very lonely-seeming place, even in summer. The memorials are rather amatuerishly made, but more interesting was just seeing the area, and mentally superimposing the old news shots over what we were seeing now.

Oh yeah: there was a lot of ditch weed on the trail to the site! (Another souvenir to bring home...)

Nothing will ever match the SMiLE shows for me--I saw two great ones--but as Brian heads toward retirement, I'm really glad to have caught this show on a good night, in a good venue, and at a lake that has consistently held a place in my heart years after having moved away.
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onkster
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« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2011, 12:02:00 PM »

I should mention that Brian DIDN'T play his Buddy Holly cover--Darian also commented this, saying that he realized too late that this was the famous Buddy location, and that had they thought about it a little sooner, they would have "relearned" their arrangement of it and played it that night.
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Mikie
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« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2011, 12:50:39 PM »

I can visualize Brian and the band doing "Peggy Sue" or "That'll Be The Day".

Great review, Onkster!  Thanks for that.
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I, I love the colorful clothes she wears, and she's already working on my brain. I only looked in her eyes, but I picked up something I just can't explain. I, I bet I know what she’s like, and I can feel how right she’d be for me. It’s weird how she comes in so strong, and I wonder what she’s picking up from me. I hope it’s good, good, good, good vibrations, yeah!!
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