Christian Love joins Mike & Bruce's Endless Sounds of Summer Travelling Jukebox

[Andrew G. Doe]

What I *DO* have a problem with, is their use of the Beach Boys name.  That's it.  End of story.  I am not a Mike hater or basher.  He's good at what he does.  Yes he's made some poor decisons and is lawsuit happy.  But that doesn't mean he doesn't put on a good show.  My brother saw them this summer (I had to work) and loved it. 

Of course we all know the reason Mike bought/won use of the name, since he did a couple dates as "America's Band featuring Mike Love" and didn't get anywhere near the attendance. 

I just find it sad that The Beach Boys have devolved akin to the Drifters, Platters, Coasters, any number of other oldies bands with one (if any) original members   

Fact is, Brian's 'people' have no problem with Mike & Bruce touring as The Beach Boys nor, according to a few interviews, does Brian himself. I'd just like Brian to exercise his right to tour under the BB banner. Just once. :-)

[Rocker]

Has the Mike and Bruce setlist evolved to what it is today because they (I include their band) wanted to be more adventurous or were they annoyed at the comparisons with Brians setlist? Maybe a bit of both?

I do think Brian's crew setout with the idea of playing more the less-known tunes and a few surf-car hits while Mike continued with the standard BB formula but in the last year or so (PS and BWPS aside), both setlists seem to be merging.

I read an article earlier this year where Mike said that he wanted to include some rarities so that there would be something for everyone from the casual fan to the hardcore fans.  Not exactly in those words, but that was the gist of what he said.  He seems to have more fun with the rare songs.

His definition of "rarities" at times seems to be more like "Wendy" as "Surf's up".
But they did play "til I die" for example, and although it didn't sound very good, it wasn't that bad either.

[Dan Lega]

It is so simple and I don't understand why we BB/BW nuts/diehards can't accept it. Mike Love is a proponent of the "give the fans what they want" school of rock and roll performance. Has been and always will be. WE ARE THE MINORITY. We are 1 out of every 100 Beach Boys fans. We are 1% of the people who go to Beach Boys' concerts. Mike plays for the other 99%...

Okay, so maybe the hardcores are only 1% of the audience, I don't think that gives him the right to exclude us from consideration when making the setlist.  Us hardcores are the ones who buy tickets to shows most every year, whereas casual fans come less often.  Also, hardcore fans buy almost every album whereas casual fans only buy a greatest hits CD, if that.  Mike should have been catering to both groups every year.  Besides, you're not going to lose casual fans by playing 5 to 10 album tracks a show, while still playing 20 to 30 hits every show, too.  His setlists were an insult to hardcore fans.  Hardcore fans deserve respect, too.

Me, I don't care that Mike and Bruce go by the name of "The Beach Boys".  Doesn't really bug me.  However, to not cater to the hardcore fan for more than 20 years of touring really stuck in my craw.  And all his bluster over the years that they just "couldn't" play the rarities, because people would walk out of the show or never come back, is now being shown for the lie that it was as we can all see he's doing fine playing the rarities now.

As for Mike and Bruce being more daring with their setlists than Brian is, that is just skewed logic in triplicate!


Love and merci,   Dan Lega

[jeffh]

The reason Brian's people don't object to Mike touring as the Beach Boys ( and granting him the rights to do so) is because it puts more money into Brians pocket. As Goofy Jeff stated the crowds would be way down if he toured under some other name.

A name is just a name. They simply are not The Beach Boys that I hear on my records and cds from the 60s and 70s. One original member and one long time member do not make a group "the real deal."

[Steve Mayo]

The reason Brian's people don't object to Mike touring as the Beach Boys ( and granting him the rights to do so) is because it puts more money into Brians pocket. As Goofy Jeff stated the crowds would be way down if he toured under some other name.

A name is just a name. They simply are not The Beach Boys that I hear on my records and cds from the 60s and 70s. One original member and one long time member do not make a group "the real deal."

not when one tours as "america's band" and can't even fill up a tent in 1998 under that name. the money comes in when "the beach boys" name is used. why it was obtained.

[Eric Aniversario]

Okay, so maybe the hardcores are only 1% of the audience, I don't think that gives him the right to exclude us from consideration when making the setlist.  Us hardcores are the ones who buy tickets to shows most every year, whereas casual fans come less often.  Also, hardcore fans buy almost every album whereas casual fans only buy a greatest hits CD, if that.  Mike should have been catering to both groups every year.  Besides, you're not going to lose casual fans by playing 5 to 10 album tracks a show, while still playing 20 to 30 hits every show, too.  His setlists were an insult to hardcore fans.  Hardcore fans deserve respect, too.
Love and merci,   Dan Lega

So now he does cater to both...we are no longer excluded.  He's made it a point to make the shows longer.  For the "20 years" that you mentioned that the setlists were pretty standard, Mike was not the only one making decisions about what would be on the setlist.  I believe they all had input in one way or another, but the bulk of the decisions were made by both Mike and Carl (that's my take anyway).  I'm normallly not one to defend Mike, but it's unfair to blame him (and only him) for 20 years of setlists that were decided by the group.  And especially since he has made an effort to change this over the past 5 years or so.

[Dan Lega]

     From what I understand Mike forced his idea of the setlist down the others' throats.  And it hasn't been five years that he's been changing the setlist in a major way, it's only the the past two, hasn't it?


           Love and merci,   Dan Lega

[Smilin Ed H]

"And it hasn't been five years that he's been changing the setlist in a major way, it's only the the past two, hasn't it?"

You mean since Brian toured SMiLE?

Did the Lovester keep the adventurous setlist in the US or was it a Europe only thing?  I saw the BB in 2004 (after seeing BW) and was genuinely impressed by the setlist (apart from dreck like Everyone's in Love... and Still Cruisin') and performance, but the feeling among the crowd was that BW's tour had somewhat upped the ante and the changes made were a necessary (and pleasing) result of it.

[Rocker]

"And it hasn't been five years that he's been changing the setlist in a major way, it's only the the past two, hasn't it?"

You mean since Brian toured SMiLE?

Did the Lovester keep the adventurous setlist in the US or was it a Europe only thing? 

I believe he played "til I die" and the other songs only in the UK and only in halls with good accoustics.

[Surfer Joe]

The first time I saw Brian Wilson's band  live they did:

 "The Little Girl I Once Knew"
"This Whole World"
"Kiss Me Baby"
"Back Home"
"Add Some Music"
"Please Let Me Wonder"
"Brian Wilson" (Barenaked Ladies song)
" 'Til I Die" (covering the alternate mix)
Both Pet Sounds instrumentals
"Caroline, No"
"All Summer Long"
and two new songs.

Of course the last time I saw him he did SMiLE live with a pre-show that included songs like "Hawaii", "And Your Dreams Come True" , "Good To My Baby", "Drive-In", and "You're Welcome". And of course he toured the whole Pet Sounds album before that.

I honestly haven't seen Mike's set list, but he's got that beaten?  WOW! (We are talking about set-lists when you say "daring", right?)

[John]

When I saw Brian in 2004, we got "Tell Me Why", "Time To Get Alone" and of course, SMiLE. I saw Mike a few months later, and the most obscure song was maybe "Do You Wanna Dance?"

[jeffh]

The reason Brian's people don't object to Mike touring as the Beach Boys ( and granting him the rights to do so) is because it puts more money into Brians pocket. As Goofy Jeff stated the crowds would be way down if he toured under some other name.

A name is just a name. They simply are not The Beach Boys that I hear on my records and cds from the 60s and 70s. One original member and one long time member do not make a group "the real deal."

not when one tours as "america's band" and can't even fill up a tent in 1998 under that name. the money comes in when "the beach boys" name is used. why it was obtained.

I think that's EXACTLY what I said in my post??

[theCOD]

Stop whining.

 

[Aegir]

I saw The Beach Boys (I know it's not the same band, but it's what the band is now.. the Beatles weren't the same without Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe, but you don't see anyone complaining) over the summer, and the rarest song they played was Surfin' Safari. I've heard the concerts from Europe '04, but I'm just not seeing it stateside.

[jeffh]

I saw The Beach Boys (I know it's not the same band, but it's what the band is now.. the Beatles weren't the same without Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe, but you don't see anyone complaining) over the summer, and the rarest song they played was Surfin' Safari. I've heard the concerts from Europe '04, but I'm just not seeing it stateside.

Who would complain?

The Beatles without Stu or Pete certainly weren't the same as the Beach Boys without Carl, Dennis, Al, or Brian. Plus the fact that the Beatles did not become popular until after the departure of Stu and Pete.

[Andrew G. Doe]

"And it hasn't been five years that he's been changing the setlist in a major way, it's only the the past two, hasn't it?"

You mean since Brian toured SMiLE?

Did the Lovester keep the adventurous setlist in the US or was it a Europe only thing?

I believe he played "til I die" and the other songs only in the UK and only in halls with good accoustics.

In the US, Mike & Bruce have two basic setlists: for outdoors, you get the meat & potatoes hits. Indoors, you get a slightly slimline version of the 2004 UK setlist. Thus:

AMT, Lancaster PA, 5/1/05

1. California Girls
2. Do It Again
3. Surfin' Safari
4. Catch A Wave
5. Hawaii
6. Dance, Dance, Dance
7. Do You Wanna Dance?
8. Little Honda
9. Surfer Girl
10. Don't Worry Baby
11. You're So Good To Me
12. Darlin'
13. The Warmth Of The Sun
14. Wendy
15. Getcha Back
16. Then I Kissed Her
17. Duke of Earl
18. Come Go With Me
19. Why Do Fools Fall In Love?
20. Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring
21. In My Room
22. 'Til I Die
23. All This Is That
24. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
25. California Dreamin'
26. Disney Girls
27. God Only Knows
28. Sail On Sailor
29. I Can Hear Music
30. Still Cruisin'
31. Little Deuce Coupe
32. 409
33. The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
34. Shut Down
35. I Get Around
36. Good Vibrations
37. Sloop John B.
38. Wouldn't It Be Nice
39. Help Me, Rhonda
40. Barbara Ann
41. Surfin USA

Encore:
42. Kokomo
43. Fun, Fun, Fun

[John]

Wow, Mike did "Til I Die" [and All This is That]? I can't imagine how that would come about, or how it would sound....

[Chris Brown]

I give him credit for even trying Til I Die...oh the irony.  I thought Mike believed that the fans didn't want to hear such a "fodaing downer"?

[Smilin Ed H]

"I give him credit for even trying Til I Die..."  Yeah, BW had done it and Mike didn't want to f**k with the formula! 

[Aegir]

Is Christian in the band? The Beach Boys Band newsletter doesn't mention anything about him.

[SG7]

Here's my .50 cents.

If Darian is there, I'm there   


End of lecture.

 

[STE]

Hi,
yes Christian is still in the band, just saw them the other day.  He's been defined as the "new addition to the band" so I guess he's gonna stay for now.  Beside few leads, he doesn't seem very busy on stage.

STE

[Rocker]

Beside few leads, he doesn't seem very busy on stage.

Just like the old man, right...?

[Aegir]

Does he play an instrument?

[Daniel S.]

Is his voice like the old man's?

He should should join In Bloom, then the band would be almost complete:

1. two of Carl Wilson's sons

2. One of Dennis Wilson's sons

3. And then Mike Love's kid!

All me need are Matt Jardine and Wendy Wilson, she can sing Brian's falsetto parts.

By the way, I was on the official site for the Beach Boys Landmark Dedication and they had this picture: http://sgtrock75.phpwebhosting.com/P1010252C.jpg
It's titled second generation Wilsons, but I think like six of those kids are Dennis Wilson's children, so I'm wondering how many kids did Dennis have? His adopted son Scott is in the picture but he still counts as a Wilson I guess. Dennis's kids have a lot of muscle mass and Carl's kids are real doughy.