THE BEACH BOYS EYING UP TO FIVE FREE GLOBAL REUNION SHOWS

[Jon Stebbins]

This ran in Howie Edelson's nationally syndicated radio feed: 7/12/2010
 
THE BEACH BOYS EYING UP TO FIVE FREE GLOBAL REUNION SHOWS
by Howie Edelson

The Beach Boys are eying up to five free global reunion shows in celebration of their 50th anniversary in 2011. Co-founder Al Jardine has just released his star-studded solo debut A Postcard From California -- which features a virtual Beach Boys studio reunion -- and outlined the band's tentative plans in an exclusive interview.
 
Jardine, who recently made peace with Mike Love after a decade of battling over the use of the group's name, tried to explain what Love meant when he told The Las Vegas Sun that estranged bandmember Brian Wilson would be rejoining the Beach Boys to perform a series of 50th anniversary shows, before suddenly -- and out of character -- retracting the statement: "I think what he meant to say is that we've agreed to play five -- four or five concerts; free concerts I might add, four or five free concerts around the world. Now get this -- this is like less than one per continent, right? There's just a general understanding that we would agree to do that. That's what he meant to say. But what came out was, 'I've asked Brian to rejoin me for a couple of shows.' Now, why he wouldn't say, '. . . for a reunion with Al and everybody else and Dave (Marks)' -- I don't know."
 
When pressed as for an actual timeline for these reunion shows, Jardine said, "It's just something that we agreed we could do. (Laughs) Because Brian's got his career going full steam ahead, Mike's got the band -- I think they're just trying to juggle their schedules, quite honestly."
 
Jardine was asked about a proposed backing band for the reunion dates, seeing as how all three touring factions -- Wilson, Love, and Jardine -- each have stellar musicians all capable of recreating the band's legendary sound: "No, no. It never got that far. It just got out of hand and Mike should've been a little more specific. It's gonna be quite a battle 'cause, y'know, you got about 27 people (laughs) to choose (for the backing band). You'll have to draw straws! I think the core guys should be there."
 
A while back Carl B. Wilson, the son of late Beach Boys co-founder Dennis Wilson -- and a drummer in his own right -- told us that he would love to see he and his cousin Justyn Wilson -- who's the son of the late Carl Wilson -- honoring their fathers onstage with the reunited Beach Boys: "One thing I hope would be possible which would be them to get back together and Justyn can play guitar for his dad, I could play drums for my dad. I mean, something along those lines. So yeah, that would be something that I would love to do. If there was ever a time, I'd love to be able to do something like that."
 
Love, Wilson, Jardine, and the estate of the late Carl Wilson are still partners in the Beach Boys' corporation, Brother Records Inc (BRI). Shortly after his 1983 death, the estate of Dennis Wilson sold his shares in the corporation back to the band to repay back loans.
 
Love, who tours with longtime member Bruce Johnston, holds the exclusive right to tour under the Beach Boys name, with all the BRI partners receiving a percentage from Love's multi-million dollar tour revenue. Brian Wilson has not performed with the band since 1996.
 
The Beach Boys featuring Mike Love and Bruce Johnston will kick off their next series of North American dates on July 17th in Santa Maria, California at the Santa Barbara County Fair at the Santa Maria Fairgrounds. The band will be on tour through November.
 
Brian Wilson will release his eighth solo studio album called Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin on August 17th.
 
Jardine's new album A Postcard From California features appearances by Beach Boys Brian Wilson, the late Carl Wilson, Mike Love, David Marks, and Bruce Johnston. Also contributing are his sons Matthew and Adam Jardine, along with Neil Young, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, America, Steve Miller, Glen Campbell, and the Red Hot Chili Pepper's bassist Flea.
 
Al Jardine with David Marks and the Endless Summer Band will perform tomorrow (July 13th) in Massapequa, New York at John Burns Park.

[Shady]

Doubt it's going to happen.

What a great idea though

[Andrew G. Doe]

Never say never - even if only 50% of it comes off, could be interesting.

[PongHit]

Never say never - even if only 50% of it comes off, could be interesting.

And I like the idea of Dennis & Carl's sons representing them.

[ESQ Editor]

Something WILL happen.

[Rocker]

Never say never - even if only 50% of it comes off, could be interesting.

And I like the idea of Dennis & Carl's sons representing them.

Yeah, that was brought up in 2006 and I still think it would be cool

[Wrightfan]

This info comes out just a day after Brian quotes This Whole World on Twitter...

Hmm...

[The Shift]

Never say never - even if only 50% of it comes off, could be interesting.

50%? I vote for the waist-up, where the vocals reside!

[Jay]

Seems to me that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I wouldn't be surprised if the lawsuits start flying again. Something tells me that the Al vs. Mike saga isn't over. But maybe I'm just a pessimistic grouch. 

[tpesky]

So we should expect Al and Brian to team up for a series of dates in the Fall of 2011 for the Pet Sounds 45th anniversary  based on past experience of reunion announcements 5 years ago.

[?]

Never say never - even if only 50% of it comes off, could be interesting.

And I like the idea of Dennis & Carl's sons representing them.

I like that too, and I'm anti-reunion.  Actually, why not leave the old guys out of it entirely and let all the respective kids do a tribute show?  That would be fun and probably sound much better too.

[Pretty Funky]

I find it hard to conceive the words 'free' and 'Mike Love' in the same sentence but should it come off, good luck to them!

Surely though a free gig when you take into account locations, travel, hotels etc must run to $1m each. For 5 shows that would add up.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I find it hard to conceive the words 'free' and 'Mike Love' in the same sentence but should it come off, good luck to them!

Surely though a free gig when you take into account locations, travel, hotels etc must run to $1m each. For 5 shows that would add up.

Two words - corporate sponsorship. Done it before, more than once.

[Pretty Funky]

For the Beach Boys?

U2 yes, Stones yes, but I don't know if the Beach Boys would give the return now demanded.

[Howie Edelson]

... and the Beach Boys, too. There are A LOT of big ole' U.S. conglomerates that would love to back the band -- for no other reason than they would be able to use their songs -- THOSE songs -- to promote their product/company. No one would turn that down. Those songs can, and have, and will, sell ANYTHING.

We're all highly-evolved fans -- so much so, that we know the pitfalls of what this thing REALLY entails. It's a tradeoff -- we get the experience and they get the money. But 50 years is major. No one's really done the 50th in Rock. If you think of it on a pure gross NASCAR-America-money-greed level, there are so many tie-ins that could earn BRI truly stupid money. Imagine a sponsorship with Coca-Cola??? For a band that began trading on nostalgia far before their first grey hairs, this is IT. This is what they've PRAYED for.

If handled correctly, with OUTSIDE PR help, and a real managerial team leading the way, this could be their biggest cash windfall yet.

50 Big Ones.

It's their's to fumble.  Cross your fingers.

[Pretty Funky]

Hey I love to be proved wrong as I said but take your example Coke. The advertising I have seen from them for ever has been aimed at the young, their core market. I love the Beach Boys but can't see the band members selling their product.

The music is nostalgia at the best and is probably over powering to any product it could tie in with.

Also 'with OUTSIDE PR help, and a real managerial team'? We'll see.

[Howie Edelson]

America is BIG. And the Beach Boys play big in the Midwest. Coke and products of that ilk have multiple campaigns (I was just using that as an example.) But I seriously doubt a U2-Coke spot would play as big in Nebraska as say Kenny Chesney with the BB's singing "Fun, Fun, Fun" would -- that's really my point. That's where something like this could go -- and how BIG it could go. "Saluting 50 years..." of anything signifies "quality" and "durability" even if WE know the truth about it beyond the spin.

Thank God there's Europe, which really gets the artistry of the band, because on these shores nobody really knows -- or cares -- that Dennis Wilson isn't behind the drums. But it's that dumbness, that "Hey, I was given a ticket by my neighbor for the Beach Boys show at the shed" that drives this thing. The band is well aware of that -- and that's the payday.

And despite what some people think and say, a 50th commemoration IS happening. Several plans ARE IN motion. How well they're executed remains to be seen, it's a ways off.  

[tpesky]

According to the BBB, Bruce is taking his "I only want to be a spectator in the fifth row" stance again claiming that it's no reunion without Dennis and Carl which is weird cause he's had no problem playing with the band without Dennis for 27 years and Carl for 12..... However, push comes to shove, Bruce hasn't left Mike's footsteps in 30 years, I can't see him taking a stance now. I could be wrong.

[Sound of Free]

Hey I love to be proved wrong as I said but take your example Coke. The advertising I have seen from them for ever has been aimed at the young, their core market. I love the Beach Boys but can't see the band members selling their product.

Then you must have missed this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahe2r5fB5hU

[Margarita]

I find it hard to conceive the words 'free' and 'Mike Love' in the same sentence but should it come off, good luck to them!

Surely though a free gig when you take into account locations, travel, hotels etc must run to $1m each. For 5 shows that would add up.

Two words - corporate sponsorship. Done it before, more than once.

"I'm pickin' up good vibrations/Sunkist orange soda taste sensations...."

Erk.

[Pretty Funky]

Hey I love to be proved wrong as I said but take your example Coke. The advertising I have seen from them for ever has been aimed at the young, their core market. I love the Beach Boys but can't see the band members selling their product.

Then you must have missed this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahe2r5fB5hU

No, I said band members, not the music.
The list of companies wanting a 70 year old lead singer come 2011, plus a group close to it pushing their product would be limited.  Have any corporates been involved with Brian or Mikes Beach Boys tours in the last few years? I mean backing a complete tour.

[Howie Edelson]

They haven't because they don't NEED it. Brian and Mike's tours don't NEED corporate sponsorship, nor will they ever. But if there's a corporate tie-in, due to a project, or said series of free gigs -- there would be. The sponsorship could also be along the lines of funding by a network, too.

The appeal of having The Beach Boys paired with Ford, or Chevy with a slogan like "50 Years, still rollin'" or something along those lines is money in the bank. It's huge. It's the MUSIC that would sell the product. Do people like Bono and Jagger appear as  pitchmen in ads?   No. There's a quick live shot of the band playing and the music is heard.

What makes you think that Alan Jardine would be expected to hawk a product on TV as a term of corporate sponsorship?

[Wirestone]

I'm with Howie.

Heck, TNT funded that big all-star salute to BW awhile back. Who's to say PBS wouldn't cough up for some sort of special? And yeah, you could easily find non-broadcast sponsors too, as long as Brian and everyone was involved, and it was a relatively serious project (with some sort of Capitol tie-in product released round the same time, too).

But yes, management is crucial. And Brian and Mike and their folks would have to listen to that management to pull such a thing off (hell, if they had competent management, they would have put out a BW-helmed album of originals in 1996 and done Dylan's Time Out of Mind comeback one better, a year earlier).

[Pretty Funky]

I used the figure of $1m per gig and I think thats close for say a Central Park, Hyde Park, Wembley or whatever so for 5 gigs thats $5m. Now you mention the music selling the product. That means a payment would surely go to Capitol or whoever owns the rights. More expence.

Would Al or any member be pitching a Chevy or the like on TV? Of course not but their logo would be onstage or prominent during press conferences and the like. They would expect and demand more control than perhaps the band would be willing to hand over IMO.

Brians tours have never made money. He can cover that but could other members?

[Wirestone]

Brian's tours have never made money in the U.S., I believe.

Big difference.