Regarding the 5-20-1988 show in Arizona which is available on Youtube...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHIFY0M6qn0Contrary to what is reported elsewhere on the net, it was - NOT - in Mesa and it was - NOT - at the Mesa Amphitheatre (which is located at Center & University in downtown Mesa on the site of the old Cubs Spring Training ballpark known back in the 1950's and 60's as Rendezvous Park).
Rather, the 5-20-1988 show was at the Val Vista Lakes Gated Community (if the show had been released as an album it could have been called "The Beach Boys H. O. A. Album") in Gilbert just south of the Mesa border. It was a free concert (at least we got our tickets for free) sponsored by Richmond America, which was the company that was building the houses. Some of the homes were already completed and were occupied, but most of the lots were for sale or under construction. There were two or three model spec-homes and we were encouraged to do a walk-through tour (and possibly buy a house) before the concert.
So the concert was in a green-belt park located in the middle of a gated community, and cars were not allowed past the entrance gates so it required parking on Guadalupe Road and then walking (hiking) about a half-mile to the park (in 100 degree heat). So it was sort of like Woodstock in that respect.
Once at the park a number of officious Barney Fife type security guards checked bags and allowed entry through the temporary entrance gate to a few people at a time (there was a really long line to get in), and the temporary stage was set-up at the north end of the park behind another temporary fence. There were no chairs so everybody had to stand up. There were several concession stands (albeit no alcohol permitted) and about a dozen porta-johns located at the south end of the park.
A DJ from KOOL-FM (Phoenix's 60's oldies station at the time) was the emcee (KOOL-FM had been hyping the concert for about two weeks -- the Beach Boys were really popular on oldies stations back then) and the real estate agent who was selling the homes made a pre-concert speech and encouraged everyone to buy a house.
But despite the pre-concert sales pitch, the obnoxious security guards, and the somewhat unusual setting, it was one of the best Beach Boys shows I had ever seen (up to that point in time). Even though we had to stand up for the entire show, we were right at the fence in front of the stage (stage-right) directly in front of Jeffrey Foskett and we had a fantastic POV.
There was an opening act I do not recall (made no impression on me at all) and then the Beach Boys came out on stage at around 8:15 and played for about an hour and a half straight without an intermission and with minimal interruptions by Mike.
There were eight cheerleaders from Mountain View HS in Mesa doing the cheer-leading for "Be True to Your School" (I had never seen cheerleaders perform at a Beach Boys concert before, so I figured at the time that it was some kind of a one-off homage to the Honeys performance as cheer-leaders at the Art Linkletter Hollywood Bowl Show in November 1963) and it was right at the end of the school year so for the seniors it was their last public performance as MVHS cheerleaders. We talked to one of them after their brief rehearsal prior to the show and she was absolutely thrilled that John Stamos was going to be there. I'm not even sure she knew who the Beach Boys were, and she said she had never heard "Be True to Your School" before.
Al Jardine was living in Scottsdale at that time (he and his wife were raising Arabian horses), and there was a point in the show when one of the other Beach Boys (I think it was Bruce) let it slip that Al wasn't living in California anymore (which apparently was supposed to be a secret?). Glen Campbell was living in the Arcadia section of Phoenix back then, and he and Al were good friends and went to the same church.
So The guys actually played with really good energy, and after seeing my share of disappointing Beach Boys concerts over the years previous and not expecting much at this one, believe it or not it was a very emotional experience for me and a breath of fresh air (so to speak), albeit VERY, VERY hot (as I recall these many years later). One of my favorite Beach Boys concerts ever.
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