Mike and Bruce Tour 2014

[tpesky]

Sail On Sailor with an awesome lead by Cowsill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXzSLM3ZWkc

I've heard him do it live, absolutely nails it!   On the other hand there was also a link to Sloop and WIBN and I think those are the 2 songs that Mike and Bruce are the weakest on.  It has to do with the lack of a strong lead vocalist. It sounded like Sloop was a combo of Bruce, Mike, and Stamos....

[Lowbacca]

Cool photo from Mike's Facebook page:

[mikeddonn]

I love the caps the guys wear and have quite a few of my own, but do you think if the Beatles were still around they'd be wearing hats with their logo?  It's either an ego thing or just trying to make sure everyone knows who they are!  For the record I loved the Beach Boys t-shirts Dennis used to wear (maybe grabbed from the merch stand?).

[Mayoman]

Here's the setlist from a show w/ David: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-beach-boys/2014/the-mountain-winery-saratoga-ca-23ceb8d7.html

[Cabinessenceking]

having viewed that concert I must say I am grateful for Jeff moving to the Mike&Bruce show. Somehow he sounds better there and is mixed more proportionately into the sound. The band sounds alive and energetic. Almost all the singing was solid! Hmm, they are coming to Trondheim, maybe I should check em out ^^

[Eric Aniversario]

Here's the setlist from a show w/ David: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-beach-boys/2014/the-mountain-winery-saratoga-ca-23ceb8d7.html

I saw them the night before, minus 11 of these songs, but with Still Cruisin added.  It was a fair, so I wasn't expecting a long setlist.  It was a very fun show, but looking forward to a longer setlist at Humphrey's in October!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

But a lot of that is simply due to Cowsill vs. Kowalski.

+1.

I mean, how many renditions of "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe", for example, played at utterly sluggish tempos that killed the groove of both entirely did fans endure at BB concerts during the 1980s and 1990s? Those two in particular in the 1980s and 1990s always sounded like they were being played for the first time during a rehearsal session intended to break in a couple of new band members who were altogether unfamiliar with BB music. They're supposed to be energetic mid-tempo songs and under Kowalski's reign they bordered on sounding like funeral dirges. Contrast that to Cowsill, who consistently brings that proto-proto-punk/young Dennis-Wilson vibe to all the surf and car songs in concert, and it's night and day. IMO, Cowsill is the best thing to happen in BB Land Drums since Ricky Fataar in the early 1970s.

As far as Mike & Bruce (or Brian, or Al and Brian, or Al, Brian and David, or Mike, Bruce and David or...) in general go, it is what it is (to use a cliche that I hate because it's absurd). The days of the real Beach Boys are long over, C50 notwithstanding. The end of such has arguably come about incrementally since the late 1970s -with particular low ebbs during 1983 and 1998 that effectively ended even the legitimate nostalgia of what was once a vital, living band. Today we have shifting and simmering factions of former Beach Boys and Beach Boys cohorts attempting to credibly recreate something without the unique chemistry of all or most of the other parties that made the original outfit what it was, and naturally the results are mixed and strained. That said, I still figure we should enjoy as best we can what we have here and now because the day will sadly come -probably sooner rather than later- when we will no longer have even that much in terms of touring BBs. (That happy thought aside, I do think the music itself will be around and have its ardent supporters for some time to come because, well, to use another cliche, the cream always rises to the top.)  

Best Beach Boys drummers:

1. Dennis (drum tracks he cut in the studio always felt great. Live, even when sloppy he gave the band a much needed kick of the unpredictable.... He was also .... Dennis. Nuff said)
2. Cowsill (For all the awesome reasons folks have been posting about ..... I should put Nelson in there with him as well since they made such a great team for the C50 tour .... Nelson IS a great kit drummer
himself, I can tell you)
3. Bobby Figeroua (I just love his style. Perfect mix of finesse/technique and looseness. He kills it on POB and Bambu as well. Dennis himself didn't hire him for no reason.
4. Ricky Fattar .... The only reason he's not number 2 is because I much prefer Dennis or Cowsill on the "classic" stuff. Otherwise, he's likely the most awesome of the bunch.
5. Hal Blaine (I know I know, 5??? But a think a lot of his studio drumming with The Beach Boys is boring, with the exception of Kiss Me Baby, California Girls, Our Car Club.
6. Mike Kowalski (I know he's been getting slammed a bit, but he's great on a lot of boots from earlier periods. He got lazy or something later on)

Am I leaving anyone out?

[Jim V.]

I love the caps the guys wear and have quite a few of my own, but do you think if the Beatles were still around they'd be wearing hats with their logo?  It's either an ego thing or just trying to make sure everyone knows who they are!  For the record I loved the Beach Boys t-shirts Dennis used to wear (maybe grabbed from the merch stand?).

Well, I do have to say that the reason they are wearing hats at all is mostly out of vanity. Mike is embarrassed of his baldness. No secret there. And apparently Dave feels the same. Because when he used to have his kinda greasy Italian-American pizza shop owner look in the '90s, he didn't seem to wear a hat as much. And to exemplify Dave's '90s look,  here's a photo...




But now that he's bald he usually wears the hat. Which is odd because he actually looks decent without the hat. He was a handsome young guy, kinda looked like scumbag in his 40s and 50s, but actually looks like a pretty refined guy in his '60s. Actually so does Mike. And Mike's not fooling anybody. Anybody who can see him can tell he's bald.

Now Bruce on the other hand, he kinda just looks like sh*t these days. His hair seems to have thinned, but he doesn't seem to be balding at all, so he's not covering baldness. Maybe it's just the grayness. Or to have solidarity with Mike. Regardless, Bruce's "hat look" really isn't a good look for him. He manages to make himself look even cheesier than he usually does without one. Which is quite an accomplishment.



*Also funny is that the above photo was usually the one news outlets used when they reported Bruce's asinine comments about President Obama.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I love the caps the guys wear and have quite a few of my own, but do you think if the Beatles were still around they'd be wearing hats with their logo?  It's either an ego thing or just trying to make sure everyone knows who they are!  For the record I loved the Beach Boys t-shirts Dennis used to wear (maybe grabbed from the merch stand?).

Well, I do have to say that the reason they are wearing hats at all is mostly out of vanity. Mike is embarrassed of his baldness. No secret there. And apparently Dave feels the same. Because when he used to have his kinda greasy Italian-American pizza shop owner look in the '90s, he didn't seem to wear a hat as much. And to exemplify Dave's '90s look,  here's a photo...




But now that he's bald he usually wears the hat. Which is odd because he actually looks decent without the hat. He was a handsome young guy, kinda looked like scumbag in his 40s and 50s, but actually looks like a pretty refined guy in his '60s. Actually so does Mike. And Mike's not fooling anybody. Anybody who can see him can tell he's bald.

Now Bruce on the other hand, he kinda just looks like sh*t these days. His hair seems to have thinned, but he doesn't seem to be balding at all, so he's not covering baldness. Maybe it's just the grayness. Or to have solidarity with Mike. Regardless, Bruce's "hat look" really isn't a good look for him. He manages to make himself look even cheesier than he usually does without one. Which is quite an accomplishment.



*Also funny is that the above photo was usually the one news outlets used when they reported Bruce's asinine comments about President Obama.

Hey, to quote Mike: "We can't all be Wilsons"  


Just look at the head of hair on this handsome son of a gun!

[startBBtoday]

But a lot of that is simply due to Cowsill vs. Kowalski.

+1.

I mean, how many renditions of "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe", for example, played at utterly sluggish tempos that killed the groove of both entirely did fans endure at BB concerts during the 1980s and 1990s? Those two in particular in the 1980s and 1990s always sounded like they were being played for the first time during a rehearsal session intended to break in a couple of new band members who were altogether unfamiliar with BB music. They're supposed to be energetic mid-tempo songs and under Kowalski's reign they bordered on sounding like funeral dirges. Contrast that to Cowsill, who consistently brings that proto-proto-punk/young Dennis-Wilson vibe to all the surf and car songs in concert, and it's night and day. IMO, Cowsill is the best thing to happen in BB Land Drums since Ricky Fataar in the early 1970s.

As far as Mike & Bruce (or Brian, or Al and Brian, or Al, Brian and David, or Mike, Bruce and David or...) in general go, it is what it is (to use a cliche that I hate because it's absurd). The days of the real Beach Boys are long over, C50 notwithstanding. The end of such has arguably come about incrementally since the late 1970s -with particular low ebbs during 1983 and 1998 that effectively ended even the legitimate nostalgia of what was once a vital, living band. Today we have shifting and simmering factions of former Beach Boys and Beach Boys cohorts attempting to credibly recreate something without the unique chemistry of all or most of the other parties that made the original outfit what it was, and naturally the results are mixed and strained. That said, I still figure we should enjoy as best we can what we have here and now because the day will sadly come -probably sooner rather than later- when we will no longer have even that much in terms of touring BBs. (That happy thought aside, I do think the music itself will be around and have its ardent supporters for some time to come because, well, to use another cliche, the cream always rises to the top.)  

Best Beach Boys drummers:

1. Dennis (drum tracks he cut in the studio always felt great. Live, even when sloppy he gave the band a much needed kick of the unpredictable.... He was also .... Dennis. Nuff said)
2. Cowsill (For all the awesome reasons folks have been posting about ..... I should put Nelson in there with him as well since they made such a great team for the C50 tour .... Nelson IS a great kit drummer
himself, I can tell you)
3. Bobby Figeroua (I just love his style. Perfect mix of finesse/technique and looseness. He kills it on POB and Bambu as well. Dennis himself didn't hire him for no reason.
4. Ricky Fattar .... The only reason he's not number 2 is because I much prefer Dennis or Cowsill on the "classic" stuff. Otherwise, he's likely the most awesome of the bunch.
5. Hal Blaine (I know I know, 5??? But a think a lot of his studio drumming with The Beach Boys is boring, with the exception of Kiss Me Baby, California Girls, Our Car Club.
6. Mike Kowalski (I know he's been getting slammed a bit, but he's great on a lot of boots from earlier periods. He got lazy or something later on)

Am I leaving anyone out?

Ahem

[Kurosawa]

I love the caps the guys wear and have quite a few of my own, but do you think if the Beatles were still around they'd be wearing hats with their logo?  It's either an ego thing or just trying to make sure everyone knows who they are!  For the record I loved the Beach Boys t-shirts Dennis used to wear (maybe grabbed from the merch stand?).

No way would they wear hats with their logo on it. You don't see The Who or the Stones doing it either.

Brooth looks like a dork hat or no hat. Dave looks pretty cool with the Fender hat he wears. I thought Mike looked best in the hats he was wearing in the 60's. The logo ball cap looks cheesy.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

But a lot of that is simply due to Cowsill vs. Kowalski.

+1.

I mean, how many renditions of "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe", for example, played at utterly sluggish tempos that killed the groove of both entirely did fans endure at BB concerts during the 1980s and 1990s? Those two in particular in the 1980s and 1990s always sounded like they were being played for the first time during a rehearsal session intended to break in a couple of new band members who were altogether unfamiliar with BB music. They're supposed to be energetic mid-tempo songs and under Kowalski's reign they bordered on sounding like funeral dirges. Contrast that to Cowsill, who consistently brings that proto-proto-punk/young Dennis-Wilson vibe to all the surf and car songs in concert, and it's night and day. IMO, Cowsill is the best thing to happen in BB Land Drums since Ricky Fataar in the early 1970s.

As far as Mike & Bruce (or Brian, or Al and Brian, or Al, Brian and David, or Mike, Bruce and David or...) in general go, it is what it is (to use a cliche that I hate because it's absurd). The days of the real Beach Boys are long over, C50 notwithstanding. The end of such has arguably come about incrementally since the late 1970s -with particular low ebbs during 1983 and 1998 that effectively ended even the legitimate nostalgia of what was once a vital, living band. Today we have shifting and simmering factions of former Beach Boys and Beach Boys cohorts attempting to credibly recreate something without the unique chemistry of all or most of the other parties that made the original outfit what it was, and naturally the results are mixed and strained. That said, I still figure we should enjoy as best we can what we have here and now because the day will sadly come -probably sooner rather than later- when we will no longer have even that much in terms of touring BBs. (That happy thought aside, I do think the music itself will be around and have its ardent supporters for some time to come because, well, to use another cliche, the cream always rises to the top.)  

I thought I'd included the word "best" in there someplace


Best Beach Boys drummers:

1. Dennis (drum tracks he cut in the studio always felt great. Live, even when sloppy he gave the band a much needed kick of the unpredictable.... He was also .... Dennis. Nuff said)
2. Cowsill (For all the awesome reasons folks have been posting about ..... I should put Nelson in there with him as well since they made such a great team for the C50 tour .... Nelson IS a great kit drummer
himself, I can tell you)
3. Bobby Figeroua (I just love his style. Perfect mix of finesse/technique and looseness. He kills it on POB and Bambu as well. Dennis himself didn't hire him for no reason.
4. Ricky Fattar .... The only reason he's not number 2 is because I much prefer Dennis or Cowsill on the "classic" stuff. Otherwise, he's likely the most awesome of the bunch.
5. Hal Blaine (I know I know, 5??? But a think a lot of his studio drumming with The Beach Boys is boring, with the exception of Kiss Me Baby, California Girls, Our Car Club.
6. Mike Kowalski (I know he's been getting slammed a bit, but he's great on a lot of boots from earlier periods. He got lazy or something later on)

Am I leaving anyone out?

Ahem

I thought I put the word "best" in there someplace

[The Real Barnyard]

I love the caps the guys wear and have quite a few of my own, but do you think if the Beatles were still around they'd be wearing hats with their logo?  It's either an ego thing or just trying to make sure everyone knows who they are!  For the record I loved the Beach Boys t-shirts Dennis used to wear (maybe grabbed from the merch stand?).

No way would they wear hats with their logo on it. You don't see The Who or the Stones doing it either.

Brooth looks like a dork hat or no hat. Dave looks pretty cool with the Fender hat he wears. I thought Mike looked best in the hats he was wearing in the 60's. The logo ball cap looks cheesy.

If the actual Beach Boys can't wear caps with their logo, who should wear them?
I love when they wear those caps!

[Autotune]

Mike looks great without a cap. Too bad he didn't go for that hatless look in the last couple decades or so.

[Autotune]

But a lot of that is simply due to Cowsill vs. Kowalski.

+1.

I mean, how many renditions of "I Get Around" and "Little Deuce Coupe", for example, played at utterly sluggish tempos that killed the groove of both entirely did fans endure at BB concerts during the 1980s and 1990s? Those two in particular in the 1980s and 1990s always sounded like they were being played for the first time during a rehearsal session intended to break in a couple of new band members who were altogether unfamiliar with BB music. They're supposed to be energetic mid-tempo songs and under Kowalski's reign they bordered on sounding like funeral dirges. Contrast that to Cowsill, who consistently brings that proto-proto-punk/young Dennis-Wilson vibe to all the surf and car songs in concert, and it's night and day. IMO, Cowsill is the best thing to happen in BB Land Drums since Ricky Fataar in the early 1970s.

As far as Mike & Bruce (or Brian, or Al and Brian, or Al, Brian and David, or Mike, Bruce and David or...) in general go, it is what it is (to use a cliche that I hate because it's absurd). The days of the real Beach Boys are long over, C50 notwithstanding. The end of such has arguably come about incrementally since the late 1970s -with particular low ebbs during 1983 and 1998 that effectively ended even the legitimate nostalgia of what was once a vital, living band. Today we have shifting and simmering factions of former Beach Boys and Beach Boys cohorts attempting to credibly recreate something without the unique chemistry of all or most of the other parties that made the original outfit what it was, and naturally the results are mixed and strained. That said, I still figure we should enjoy as best we can what we have here and now because the day will sadly come -probably sooner rather than later- when we will no longer have even that much in terms of touring BBs. (That happy thought aside, I do think the music itself will be around and have its ardent supporters for some time to come because, well, to use another cliche, the cream always rises to the top.)  

Best Beach Boys drummers:

1. Dennis (drum tracks he cut in the studio always felt great. Live, even when sloppy he gave the band a much needed kick of the unpredictable.... He was also .... Dennis. Nuff said)
2. Cowsill (For all the awesome reasons folks have been posting about ..... I should put Nelson in there with him as well since they made such a great team for the C50 tour .... Nelson IS a great kit drummer
himself, I can tell you)
3. Bobby Figeroua (I just love his style. Perfect mix of finesse/technique and looseness. He kills it on POB and Bambu as well. Dennis himself didn't hire him for no reason.
4. Ricky Fattar .... The only reason he's not number 2 is because I much prefer Dennis or Cowsill on the "classic" stuff. Otherwise, he's likely the most awesome of the bunch.
5. Hal Blaine (I know I know, 5??? But a think a lot of his studio drumming with The Beach Boys is boring, with the exception of Kiss Me Baby, California Girls, Our Car Club.
6. Mike Kowalski (I know he's been getting slammed a bit, but he's great on a lot of boots from earlier periods. He got lazy or something later on)

Am I leaving anyone out?

Agree with your list, Pinder.
Regarding Kowalski dragging the tempos, it should be noted that it was Carl who counted and set the pace. Apparently, the idea to slow down songs like Fun Fun Fun while hurrying Surfer Girl was his. Kowalski, even in his prime when he was a sort of virtuoso, favored a questionable cymbal-dominated beat.

[mikeddonn]

I love the caps the guys wear and have quite a few of my own, but do you think if the Beatles were still around they'd be wearing hats with their logo?  It's either an ego thing or just trying to make sure everyone knows who they are!  For the record I loved the Beach Boys t-shirts Dennis used to wear (maybe grabbed from the merch stand?).

No way would they wear hats with their logo on it. You don't see The Who or the Stones doing it either.

Brooth looks like a dork hat or no hat. Dave looks pretty cool with the Fender hat he wears. I thought Mike looked best in the hats he was wearing in the 60's. The logo ball cap looks cheesy.

If the actual Beach Boys can't wear caps with their logo, who should wear them?
I love when they wear those caps!

I used to love seeing the hats, still do, but can't help feeling that it should be fans wearing them not the group.  It comes across as 'hey, we're the Beach Boys in case you're wondering'.  Especially when they do it at awards shows and such like. In concert is fine but elsewhere it seems like it's an insecurity thing.  Like when Mike always feels the need to mention 'cousin Brian, or hanging out with the Beatles in India.  I guess a lot of people wouldn't know who they were otherwise, unlike say the Beatles, the Stones or the Who.  They also used to wear some cool Nike hats in the 80s and 90s.

[Jim V.]

I feel it should also be mentioned that Pete Townshend is bald as sh*t, but he's confident enough not to have to wear a hat like ever.

[GoodVibrations33]

Now Bruce on the other hand, he kinda just looks like sh*t these days. His hair seems to have thinned, but he doesn't seem to be balding at all, so he's not covering baldness. Maybe it's just the grayness. Or to have solidarity with Mike. Regardless, Bruce's "hat look" really isn't a good look for him. He manages to make himself look even cheesier than he usually does without one. Which is quite an accomplishment.

No, Bruce is balding, hides it pretty well though most of the time....

[Mayoman]

Anyone have any video of David doing a lead with M&B recently?

[Jim V.]

No, Bruce is balding, hides it pretty well though most of the time....

Wow, so he is. I still don't think that's the reason for the hats. He seems to have been wearing the hats on stage since the early '90s at least. And I don't get why. It's not a good look for him. But as I said earlier, he's aged pretty horribly. Which is usually the case for baby-faced people like him. They manage to still very young look for a long time, but when time finally catches up, boy do they look shitty!

[RubberSoul13]

Bruce also seems to have stopped dying his hair since the C50 tour. All throughout the 2013/2014 shows I've seen, it's been white popping out of that hat....not "McCartney Brown" 

[Jim V.]

Bruce also seems to have stopped dying his hair since the C50 tour. All throughout the 2013/2014 shows I've seen, it's been white popping out of that hat....not "McCartney Brown" 

Ah yes, Bruce's hair....phew! Honestly, Macca's hair doesn't bother me. Obviously he's dying it, but it just seems to come off so much better than Bruce's. Bruce's that totally unnatural orangish brown. Compare....Paul's looks like an older guy with a dye job. Bruce's looks like grandma's quick shitty dye job.

[Kurosawa]

Now Bruce on the other hand, he kinda just looks like sh*t these days. His hair seems to have thinned, but he doesn't seem to be balding at all, so he's not covering baldness. Maybe it's just the grayness. Or to have solidarity with Mike. Regardless, Bruce's "hat look" really isn't a good look for him. He manages to make himself look even cheesier than he usually does without one. Which is quite an accomplishment.

No, Bruce is balding, hides it pretty well though most of the time....

Man, the fellas are getting old. Better than the alternative, though. As a 45 year old guy myself, I can testify that getting old sucks.

[Jim V.]

Now Bruce on the other hand, he kinda just looks like sh*t these days. His hair seems to have thinned, but he doesn't seem to be balding at all, so he's not covering baldness. Maybe it's just the grayness. Or to have solidarity with Mike. Regardless, Bruce's "hat look" really isn't a good look for him. He manages to make himself look even cheesier than he usually does without one. Which is quite an accomplishment.

No, Bruce is balding, hides it pretty well though most of the time....

Man, the fellas are getting old. Better than the alternative, though. As a 45 year old guy myself, I can testify that getting old sucks.

I dunno, I don't think they look that bad for guys in between their late 60s and their mid 70s. I definitely know some people who aren't even that old that look much worse.

[Eric Aniversario]

No hats changes everything. Brian and Al look way younger once all hats are removed.