When did the BBs stop wearing the candy stripped shirts?

[Ian]

The April 1967 show wasn't with Strawberry Alarm Clock-they were on the tour with Buffalo Springfield in Nov 1967. The Apr 28 show was opened by Tommy James & the Shondells, the Buckinghams and Jim and Jean. I have the ads-so I think you are indeed recalling the Nov 67 show

[Jon Stebbins]

The April '67 shows weren't with the SAC - that was November of that year, when they toured with both the SAC and the Springfield. Also in April 1968 for the tour that was mildly disrupted by King's assassination. I think your recollection is out by a year. 

Once again proving that "first-hand" memory is often the least accurate.

[filledeplage]

The April 1967 show wasn't with Strawberry Alarm Clock-they were on the tour with Buffalo Springfield in Nov 1967. The Apr 28 show was opened by Tommy James & the Shondells, the Buckinghams and Jim and Jean. I have the ads-so I think you are indeed recalling the Nov 67 show

Jim and Jean sound familiar as well as the Buckinghams for sure.  There was usually a "comedy act" followed by a warm up band, the Shondells, maybe. My focus was not on them. It was a long time to wait for the "headliners." I would be very interested in seeing some photos of the April show, now that this issue has been raised.  I have eaten ( yum-yum) a few words with a "fork and spoon" in my lifetime! 

The Beach Boys usually did about 12-14 songs, and the music community wanted to see this "Theremin." It was a "serious" audience.   According to Badman, they were in NJ the next day and on their way to Ireland, but were picked up in Boston. 

Monday, May 1st was the same day that Carl had to appear in Federal Court in LA as a result of his Conscientious Objector status.  According to Badman, he had been arrested in New York two days before the Boston show and there was concert about whether he would be there.  His Selective Service Status was as large an issue as the show.

Back Bay Theatre was demolished the following spring. 

[mrski]

Anybody prepared to speculate when Mike started wearing his white 'robe'...?

European tour May '69? Not sure if he wore it in Europe late '68 also...

Interestingly, once having returned to The States, when appearing on the Mike Douglas TV show, Mike sports the more conventional white suit...

Maybe Mike toned it (his image) down for US viewers...

[Ian]

I'm pretty positive he didn't wear it on the 68 tour.  The producers of American Band mislabled the Brighton footage as England 1968 but that footage-with Mike dancing around in his white robes was filmed at the Brighton show that opened the 69 tour.  All the photos (properly dated) and stuff from mags indicates that he wore those in 69.  It is funny  that he didn't wear them on Douglas it's true-maybe your right about his reasons

[filledeplage]

I'm pretty positive he didn't wear it on the 68 tour.  The producers of American Band mislabled the Brighton footage as England 1968 but that footage-with Mike dancing around in his white robes was filmed at the Brighton show that opened the 69 tour.  All the photos (properly dated) and stuff from mags indicates that he wore those in 69.  It is funny  that he didn't wear them on Douglas it's true-maybe your right about his reasons

Ian - When was the "inverticube" program released?  I just  looked at mine and it is full of "white suits" including one of Dennis walking barefoot on some beach.  If it was sold in November of 1967, in Boston, then it might "reference backwards" as to what was being worn and when.  I am not convinced that they did not "switch uniforms" - who would play in a suit in a " hot (temperature) venue" when they could wear a short sleeved shirt? 

It might also follow that if they were playing to a more "academic" audience, they might have worn the suits rather than short sleeves.  I am not sure if photos of the concert were permitted or prohibited;  I tend to think prohibited without permission.   

[Jon Stebbins]

I'm pretty positive he didn't wear it on the 68 tour.  The producers of American Band mislabled the Brighton footage as England 1968 but that footage-with Mike dancing around in his white robes was filmed at the Brighton show that opened the 69 tour.  All the photos (properly dated) and stuff from mags indicates that he wore those in 69.  It is funny  that he didn't wear them on Douglas it's true-maybe your right about his reasons

Ian - When was the "inverticube" program released?  I just  looked at mine and it is full of "white suits" including one of Dennis walking barefoot on some beach.  If it was sold in November of 1967, in Boston, then it might "reference backwards" as to what was being worn and when.  I am not convinced that they did not "switch uniforms" - who would play in a suit in a " hot (temperature) venue" when they could wear a short sleeved shirt? 

It might also follow that if they were playing to a more "academic" audience, they might have worn the suits rather than short sleeves.  I am not sure if photos of the concert were permitted or prohibited;  I tend to think prohibited without permission.   

That program is from the Friends tour....mid '68.

[filledeplage]

I'm pretty positive he didn't wear it on the 68 tour.  The producers of American Band mislabled the Brighton footage as England 1968 but that footage-with Mike dancing around in his white robes was filmed at the Brighton show that opened the 69 tour.  All the photos (properly dated) and stuff from mags indicates that he wore those in 69.  It is funny  that he didn't wear them on Douglas it's true-maybe your right about his reasons

Ian - When was the "inverticube" program released?  I just  looked at mine and it is full of "white suits" including one of Dennis walking barefoot on some beach.  If it was sold in November of 1967, in Boston, then it might "reference backwards" as to what was being worn and when.  I am not convinced that they did not "switch uniforms" - who would play in a suit in a " hot (temperature) venue" when they could wear a short sleeved shirt? 

It might also follow that if they were playing to a more "academic" audience, they might have worn the suits rather than short sleeves.  I am not sure if photos of the concert were permitted or prohibited;  I tend to think prohibited without permission.   

That program is from the Friends tour....mid '68.

Jon - I just received an email from a nice man who was at the May - 1967 show at MIT and he says that it was 80 degrees at the show and that they did wear striped shirts, and that it was so hot, presumably before the end of the semester that they were "swimming" in a "moat-like area" on the  campus.  Short-sleeved shirts make more sense on a hot night with college kids drinking beer from kegs!

The problem with the Capitol Program books is that there is no dated copyright which would place it "in time" with other "documentary evidence" from that period which would "self-authenticate"  as an "ancient document"(over 25 years)as to what was going on at the time.

The jury is still out on this one...

[Jon Stebbins]

I think you are the lone juror who is out...as all the experts agree and all the evidence suggests that the striped shirts were worn until late '67...at which time the white suits were introduced. Always open to some kind of documentation to challenge that, but we can't seem to find any. BTW, i think its really cool you saw the band that early...that's something to treasure for sure.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I just received an email from a nice man who was at the May - 1967 show at MIT and he says that it was 80 degrees at the show and that they did wear striped shirts, and that it was so hot, presumably before the end of the semester that they were "swimming" in a "moat-like area" on the  campus.  Short-sleeved shirts make more sense on a hot night with college kids drinking beer from kegs!

Errr... small problem - there was no May 1967 gig at MIT. Or anywhere in the USA. The band were in Europe for the whole of May. Try May 1966 - the 6th.  

You might find these pages useful: http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs.html

[filledeplage]

I just received an email from a nice man who was at the May - 1967 show at MIT and he says that it was 80 degrees at the show and that they did wear striped shirts, and that it was so hot, presumably before the end of the semester that they were "swimming" in a "moat-like area" on the  campus.  Short-sleeved shirts make more sense on a hot night with college kids drinking beer from kegs!

Errr... small problem - there was no May 1967 gig at MIT. Or anywhere in the USA. The band were in Europe for the whole of May. Try May 1966 - the 6th.  

You might find these pages useful: http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/gigs.html

Thanks Jon for the kind words and Andrew - I did not use your site as I considered it "cheating...

The "bad news" for this guy is that he could be a year older than he thought...the Beach Boys show, is part of the MIT Alumi pages for that year...he could have been an underclassman...

There would likely be some clothing contracts or "fitting" schedules if they were individually tailored   
and isn't it true that many "private" dates are not published?

Whatever the case, April 28, 1967 was my first show, and on the 30th,  some  friends who had been at the Boston airport got Dennis'and Carl's autographs on my program... it was in 2008, when brother Brian kindly signed, and Mike and Bruce's still later... over 40 years later...

This has been an interesting thread...   Thanks!

[Ian]

The MIT show was first scheduled for Apr 30 1966-a big event at Crane's Beach.  The BBs played at Boston College earlier and then drove there-but they got lost and hardly started playing before the curfew, so they graciously agreed to come to MIT itself and play a makeup show on May 6  1966, which I presume was a dayoff originally-though they may have played somewhere else that day as well.  The MIT student newspaper is online and you can find articles about the May 6 1966 show if you look for it.  I contributed most of the concert info at AGD's site and I have collected way too many concert reviews and photos about this stuff-so I know a lot of facts and can back them up-but I never saw the BBs in the 60s or 70s so I certainly envy you

[filledeplage]

The MIT show was first scheduled for Apr 30 1966-a big event at Crane's Beach.  The BBs played at Boston College earlier and then drove there-but they got lost and hardly started playing before the curfew, so they graciously agreed to come to MIT itself and play a makeup show on May 6  1966, which I presume was a dayoff originally-though they may have played somewhere else that day as well.  The MIT student newspaper is online and you can find articles about the May 6 1966 show if you look for it.  I contributed most of the concert info at AGD's site and I have collected way too many concert reviews and photos about this stuff-so I know a lot of facts and can back them up-but I never saw the BBs in the 60s or 70s so I certainly envy you

Ian -  It is cool to look back and see the Band, get better over time, and each of the members have their own musical "personality" if you will, since I first started listening to them, and all the media to "hear them" on, evolve and change from 45's to mp3 players...and all that in between. 

It is amazing to see the influence they have had on "world music" and the great reception they get when they tour.  You have done well to dig up all those cool resources like student newspapers to get the "feel" of what the kids were doing and how the Beach Boys music played a part in their school days...

You would not believe the girls screaming for Dennis who would toss drumsticks out to the audience and on the flipside, watching Carl sing his heart out, that last summer in '97, with an audience in tears, as he was singing his farewell to his fans...

So that "make up date" the Boys played is something that some guy can still speak of with such fondness over 40 years later...and the great time they had at the "genius factory" that is still MIT! Does it get much better?

 

[jimmyboy]

I saw them at the San Francisco Civic in '76 or '77 and I was surprised to see them wearing the striped shirts . I think they were maybe trying to be "campy". It was the first tour after Blondie and Ricky had left.

[Jon Stebbins]

I saw them at the San Francisco Civic in '76 or '77 and I was surprised to see them wearing the striped shirts . I think they were maybe trying to be "campy". It was the first tour after Blondie and Ricky had left.

Blondie left in '73, Ricky left in '74, they toured a lot in between those two occurrences...they played the S.F. Civic in late '74...but never in '76 or '77.

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

I think it would be kind of cool if the touring Beach Boys brought back the striped shirts today. It certainly beats Hawaiian shirts, in my opinion.

[Jon Stebbins]

To be fair...they haven't worn the Hawaiian shirts in years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYJhPqf-WqE&feature=related

[jimmyboy]

Ok..it was 74 then..I stand corrected.

[Ian]

Just to continue the thread...Does anybody think that the white suits were anymore "hip?"  Personally I think that the white suits was a poor idea in 1968-they looked much cooler in their street clothes and no other (non motown) acts were wearing matching suits in 1968.  Certainly looked "square" when compared with the big acts of that time-Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Doors, the Byrds, Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, Kinks, etc, etc. I think the white suits gave them a kind of Osmonds, safe, kind of look.

[the captain]

I have nothing against the white suits. On the other hand, I have no style or interest in style whatsoever. Apart from the shirtless, vested look of Love, I don't much care who wears what. (A big, fat Brian in sweat pants and an untucked, half unbuttoned shirt? Fine.)

[oldsurferdude]

Just to continue the thread...Does anybody think that the white suits were anymore "hip?"  Personally I think that the white suits was a poor idea in 1968-they looked much cooler in their street clothes and no other (non motown) acts were wearing matching suits in 1968.  Certainly looked "square" when compared with the big acts of that time-Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Doors, the Byrds, Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, Kinks, etc, etc. I think the white suits gave them a kind of Osmonds, safe, kind of look.

Embarrassingly enough, back in the day, the white outfits were labeled "ice cream suits" by the hipster establishment. Couldn't agree more-not even Dennis could make em look acceptable in person.

[Jon Stebbins]

no other (non motown) acts were wearing matching suits in 1968

You are definitely wrong about that. There were a lot of groups performing in matching outfits in '68. Dave Clark Five, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Monkees, Fifth Dimension, Four Seasons, Moody Blues, First Edition, Ike and Tina, Vanilla Fudge, Brooklyn Bridge, Five Americans...I'm just pulling these off the top of my head. I'll bet there were at least 50 hit rock/pop acts that were performing in matching outfits in 1968. I'm not saying I liked it...but it was a fact.

[Emdeeh]

Embarrassingly enough, back in the day, the white outfits were labeled "ice cream suits" by the hipster establishment.

IIRC, the "ice cream suits" were a set of brightly colored and/or pastel suits that they wore for the Eye magazine shoot -- not the white suits.

BTW, I'm correcting the spelling in the subject line, because "stripped shirts" = shirtless. Not that that's a bad thing when it comes to Denny. 

[Wilsonista]

Embarrassingly enough, back in the day, the white outfits were labeled "ice cream suits" by the hipster establishment.

IIRC, the "ice cream suits" were a set of brightly colored and/or pastel suits that they wore for the Eye magazine shoot -- not the white suits.

Vanilla ice cream is white, is it not?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Embarrassingly enough, back in the day, the white outfits were labeled "ice cream suits" by the hipster establishment.

IIRC, the "ice cream suits" were a set of brightly colored and/or pastel suits that they wore for the Eye magazine shoot -- not the white suits.

Vanilla ice cream is white, is it not?

Not. More like ivory... maybe parchment... but not white.