Show 15: Sands Bethlehem Events Center - Bethlehem, PA 5/17/12

[Wrightfan]

Yes, I know there's 4 shows before this but I'm just so damn excited 

Should be getting the itinerary by the weekend. I see by looking on the board that a couple of you are going to this one. There's apparently a big Wizard of Oz community slot machine there. Perfect photo op no? 

[Shady]

Holy crap, when I saw this thread I thought I'd fallen into a coma for a week

[EgoHanger1966]

I won two free tickets to this. I'll be there.

[SG7]

Yes, I know there's 4 shows before this but I'm just so damn excited 

Should be getting the itinerary by the weekend. I see by looking on the board that a couple of you are going to this one. There's apparently a big Wizard of Oz community slot machine there. Perfect photo op no? 

Indeed! SS meetup haha.

[Michael Edwards Love]

New to the board and Bethlehem will be my first BB show.  Can't wait!

[LostArt]

Welcome aboard!

[Rocker]

I won two free tickets to this. I'll be there.

Lucky guy ! Enjoy the show !

[Wrightfan]

About to leave for PA very soon. Dad and I decided to go the day before, mostly so he can be rested up for tomorrow (driving takes a lot out of him due to health issues) but also to gamble a bit 

[Vega-Table Man]

I could not be more excited for this show. I've seen Brian once, but I've never been to a Beach Boys show, and I certainly never thought I'd have a chance for *this*. Very stoked!

[EgoHanger1966]

I could not be more excited for this show. I've seen Brian once, but I've never been to a Beach Boys show, and I certainly never thought I'd have a chance for *this*. Very stoked!

I've never seen Brian AT ALL, or the Mike/Bruce combo. I'm so psyched.
I don't think I'll be able to actually see Brian at all, the tickets I won are all the way over to the right, but just to be able say I was in the same room with the man! That's something...

[Nedrow]

If anyone is not aware, the venue is very small and very new.  In fact, this will only be the second show at this place - it just opened this week.  Every seat is less than 150 feet from the stage.  The floor seats are in a rectangular area in the center of the room that is recessed, with the stage 5 feet high in front, and elevated seats (almost the same height as the stage) on both right and left sides.

I don't know how the sound will be, but they have hyped up the newness and "state of the art" sound system.  For shows like this, with reserved seating (not standing room), it only seats 2250 people.  So, this will be a pretty intimate setting.

I saw the BB in '85, then saw Brian for the PS tour and Smile tour (twice each).  This will be something special.

And yes, this is my first post.

[Nathan Snyder]

I’ll be there with my wife and a friend.  First time for my friend to see them.  He’s funny because he’s a casual fan, but knows the Love You album by heart because as a child in the 70’s, it was one of his first purchases.   He keeps saying, hope they play Johnny Carson.  I said, no way, buddy.  He says, maybe they’ll play ding dang…it will only take a minute…  I laugh.

This show got me thinking of my own history of BB’s concerts.  I’ve only become a fan since the mid 90’s.  

01.    Brian Wilson w/ Paul Simon – summer 2001 at Hershey – Met Brian and Melinda and got an autograph.  Pretty much, I thanked him for everything and he said thank you back.  Melinda sat beside him and there was hardly any security.  My wife says that I was totally star struck and after getting the autograph, stood behind the line and simply stared at him for 5 minutes.  I remember thinking how tall he was when he walked to the table in front of me, how much hair he had and when I shook his hand, it jolted through my body that THIS was the hand that wrote Pet Sounds/Smile.  Yeah, I was obsessed.

02.   Beach Boys (Mike/Bruce) – July 2002 in Salsbury, MD – Front row, I clearly remember our ears were SHOT after this show, right in front of a loud speaker.  My fault, I know.  Also, a man threw a stuffed bear on stage for Mike to sign.  Mike looked at it to sign it and saw he already had signed it 20 years earlier.  The man acknowledged this and wanted a 2nd signature.  Mike threw it back and said no way, already did it.

03.   Brian Wilson – Summer 2002 – Philly, PA – Pet Sounds Tour – Standing room only, better sound than Mike/Bruce’s show and better band but Brian seemed very sleepy.  Good performance but he was yawning and rubbing his eyes the entire show.  Paid $20 for ANOTHER copy of Pet Sounds live just so I could get his autograph again.  This was less personable, BUT the band mingled through the line and I ended up talking to Jeff and getting his autograph.  He was still very ‘big’ at that time.  Also, I remember the line ran in front of the stage and I thought it was cool that Brian was using old speakers from the old Beach Boys touring days with the white Beach Boys logo sprayed on them.  

04.   Beach Boys (Mike/Bruce) – August 2003 in Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest.  I remember getting a BB’s license plate at this show.  John Stamos performed with them.  It was pretty cool or at least different.  Although I may think differently now, at the time, it did add some excitement.  The crowd cheered and ooh/ahh every time John was shown on the jumbotron.  

05.   Al Jardine – July 2005 – Hersheypark – This show was awesome.  Al’s younger son was great, but since Matt was not available, a singer from the CA band, Tripsitter, joined them onstage and was great.  He wore a smile shirt and I liked it.  ALSO, on top of steady Ed Carter on bass and the great Richie Cannata on sax, Mike Meros came and played with them as he lived nearby.  I believe he died not long after this performance, such a shame.  Anyways, I hung around afterwards as the show was loose and no security.  The back doors opened and everyone came out and I fulfilled my dream of talking to everyone about their music.  I remember discussing the various touring entities with Adam Jardine and Billy Hinche and when I told Billy that Al’s band is the most accurate version of the true live Beach Boys sound, he thanked me and told me to tell Al that and that he would appreciate hearing it.  Also, I was star struck meeting Richie Cannata because I’m a huge Billy Joel fan.  Lastly, I spoke one on one to Al for a couple minutes and when he was walking away, I mentioned that I enjoyed his (at the time) new song, California Energy Blues, from his live album bonus cut.  He turned back around to thank me and said he was surprised because at times it feels like no one is out there listening to this stuff.  I ensured him, we were.

06.   Brian Wilson – August 2005 – Philly, PA – Smile Tour  - I remember I had just had hernia surgery days earlier and could barely walk yet.  I was off work, mandatory sick leave and told my wife come hell or high water, I’m not missing this concert.  She drove, I limped in and plopped down and had a great time.  Great show and they encored with Walking Down the Path of Life.  

07.   Beach Boys (Mike/Bruce) – July 2006 – Basically a July 4th concert with fireworks afterwards.  This was a music festival in Harrisburg and they played for free to about 15K people.  I had great seats and dragged my parents along who also had a great time.  Basically, they were friends of the governor and played a long and varied setlist.  I was a happy man.

My gosh…well, I was thinking there was more but I guess it has been nearly SIX years since I’ve seen them.   Bring on tomorrow!!

[Wrightfan]

The area around the Sands here is pretty nice. The slot machines are TIGHT though (even worse then I thought  ).

Can't wait for tomorrow!

[atroxi]

02.   Beach Boys (Mike/Bruce) – July 2002 in Salsbury, MD – Front row, I clearly remember our ears were SHOT after this show, right in front of a loud speaker.  My fault, I know.  Also, a man threw a stuffed bear on stage for Mike to sign.  Mike looked at it to sign it and saw he already had signed it 20 years earlier.  The man acknowledged this and wanted a 2nd signature.  Mike threw it back and said no way, already did it.

Well, if it was at the Civic Center - there are no good seats for concerts there so it's either blow out your ears or nothing.  To put it mildly, it's not  a good performance space.

Still, considering I was living about 3/4 of a mile from the place in '02, I'm surprised I can't remember this show!  I must have been in my ignore-anything-outside-of-Brian-touring mindset to pass up a show I could walk to.

[Nathan Snyder]

02.   Beach Boys (Mike/Bruce) – July 2002 in Salsbury, MD – Front row, I clearly remember our ears were SHOT after this show, right in front of a loud speaker.  My fault, I know.  Also, a man threw a stuffed bear on stage for Mike to sign.  Mike looked at it to sign it and saw he already had signed it 20 years earlier.  The man acknowledged this and wanted a 2nd signature.  Mike threw it back and said no way, already did it.

Well, if it was at the Civic Center - there are no good seats for concerts there so it's either blow out your ears or nothing.  To put it mildly, it's not  a good performance space.

Still, considering I was living about 3/4 of a mile from the place in '02, I'm surprised I can't remember this show!  I must have been in my ignore-anything-outside-of-Brian-touring mindset to pass up a show I could walk to.

It was a the Salsbury minor leagues baseball arena.  Can't remember the name of the baseball team (maybe the shorebirds?), but I think it was a big deal that they got the Beach Boys to show up.  Stage was small and not very elaborate.  I remember I got a free beach towel with their name on it and after the game, they had fireworks.  Didn't stay.

Also, regarding this venue tomorrow, my wife and I went to a venue just blocks from this casino called the Musikfest cafe that had just recently opened last June.  Very nice dinner theater atmosphere, good food and beer (sponsored by Yuengling Lagar), FANTASTIC performance by Los Lonely Boys and the stage sits against an entire glass wall with the old steel factory towers right outside the window illuminated with colorful lights.  Really nice place.  I don't think they normally get very well known acts, though. 

[SG7]

I was at shows # 5 and 6. I met Brian that last Smile tour. Highlight of my fandom that's for sure. Will be at the show tomorrow! Anyone else in the M&G group? I'll be there, Wrightfan will, let yourselves be known 

[atroxi]

It was a the Salsbury minor leagues baseball arena.  Can't remember the name of the baseball team (maybe the shorebirds?), but I think it was a big deal that they got the Beach Boys to show up.  Stage was small and not very elaborate.  I remember I got a free beach towel with their name on it and after the game, they had fireworks.  Didn't stay.

Yup, that's Shorebird Stadium.  I remember now.

They just recently tried to stage a "Chickenstock Live!" ('cause Salisbury is the home of Perdue farms) music festival there with America, Kenny Loggins, CCR, Dionne Warwick and the Marshall Tucker Band.  Ticket prices were high, there was no re-entry and well...it didn't go very well.

[startBBtoday]

I wonder if we'll see Break Away on this tour...

Edit: very short clip, but man, Brian looks really into this live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT5bBCOpn6I

[STE]

Bruce clearly stated that he hates that song so it might not happen.

[MaxL]

Bruce clearly stated that he hates that song so it might not happen.

He also said he didn't like Do It Again, so I doubt Bruce really gets to veto on those kinds of decisions.

Then again he also said he doesn't like the Friends album, maybe he's keeping them out of the set?

[Quzi]

Bruce clearly stated that he hates that song so it might not happen.

I thought he just hated the way the BGVs were mixed?

[Rocker]

Bruce clearly stated that he hates that song so it might not happen.

In the Wamrth of the sun-podcast Brian said he didn't like "It's ok" or rather the memories it brings up for him

[startBBtoday]

Bruce clearly stated that he hates that song so it might not happen.

Can't believe I missed that obscure Bruce Johnston interview... where's my head these days.

Brian also clearly stated that he doesn't like Sail On Sailor. And he sings it on this tour.

[Wrightfan]

Only a few more hours until the VIP expierence starts.

Not sure I'll able to post here but I should at least give you how the soundcheck and meet and greet go via twitter. My handle is SNESmaster so feel free to copy and paste my statuses here (that are beach boys related that is  )

[Lowbacca]

Only a few more hours until the VIP expierence starts.

Not sure I'll able to post here but I should at least give you how the soundcheck and meet and greet go via twitter. My handle is SNESmaster so feel free to copy and paste my statuses here (that are beach boys related that is  )

Are you a SNESmaster? I've hadn't had a worthy Mario Kart opponent in a long time... 

Back on topic: looking forward to your updates. Have fun!