Murmuring Beast 0 Report post Posted November 20, 2004 Note: The Beach Boys comprise of two true members, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. They are backed by 6 other musicians. The pace and energy that they showed throughout was incredible and it was all the more remarkable that they didn't stop for an interval. The setlist is obviously something which has come under scrutiny in recent years as being nothing but a jukebox and it looks like the guys have realised this because some of the inclusions on this tour have been excellent. All This Is That, Getcha Back and It's OK were all excellently performed and seeing the latter in person, a great favourite of mine, was a dream. Not to mention everything else they fired through, like Please Let Me Wonder, Kiss Me Baby and Do You Wanna Dance. Even the mediocre songs like Summer In Paradise, Still Cruisin, Kokomo and Everyone's In Love With You came across so well and in the case of EILWY, Mike's revamping and reading of the song was very sincere. The highlights of the night were plentiful. Disney Girls was superb and Bruce's voice was far better than I expected it to be. It was just as sweet as days gone by. Til I Die was an absolute knockout to hear in such an environment. I knew to expect it but to hear it was so perfect and hopefully it shuts some of the critics up. Mike's onstage banter went across reasonably well. I was used to most of the humour, some others kept their hands on their chins all the way through it. He did his age-spiel, mentioned Bruce's grammy, name checked Justin Timerwolf and some McCartney guy also. Bruce didn't talk as much but when he did, it hit home hard. He dedicated God Only Knows to Carl and said that You Still Believe In Me was one of THE great songs. Mike rightfully poked fun at the people who just didn't respond at the start. Myself and a few others around me were clapping right away and singing along too. The ballads clearly didn't inspire many people, although much of the audience might not have recognised The Warmth Of The Sun and Please Let Me Wonder as well as the upbeat songs. I was in row C of the stalls, right down the front (I couldn't believe it), so I tried to catch eyes with Mike and Bruce as much as possible but Mike was generally too busy pointing at the women in the crowd. Bruce did his best to gee up the crowd by prompting sing-a-longs, even during God Only Knows, and he frequently stopped at the keyboard to clap along with the song. On the subject of his keyboard, I didn't expect his to be on, but Bruce was tinkering all the time with all the different sounds and adding touches that were very nimble. As a keyboard player myself, I had much praise for Bruce afterwards. Suprising also was Mike's backseat position for a lot of the set and he just harmoised for a lot of songs, mainly the ballads. I half-expected prior to the concert that Mike would be in the limelight the whole night but that wasn't the case, until the end. The other musicians were very good and grooved and reproduced the songs very well, but in a very light way that was easy on the ear and you can't ask for much more. The drummer Kowalski has come under some scrutiny but I thought he was fairly solid, not to mention that playing on 50 songs almost non-stop is a helluva feat and not to be sniffed at. The crowd responded to the covers like Cottonfields and I Can Hear Music midway through the set, but at the end, forget it. The whole place was jumping and Bruce had encouraged those in the front rows to come down and dance. For the grandslam finale I was down the front at Mike's feet, completely losing myself in the music. Mike slapped hands with the crowd and so did Bruce, although Bruce let Mike do his thing at the end, almost fading into the background. Mike spent most of the time pointing at the girls but he gave the occasional man a thumbs up . Overall it was magnificent night and I can't really see how they can make the set any better. Maybe they could lose the car-medley but everyone deep down loves hearing Little Deuce Coupe, 409 and Shut Down. As for rarities, they were more than catered for and realistically they can't introduce the likes of Surf's Up or Day In The Life Of A Tree in there. If people want that, they can forget it. 80% of the audience won't know much of the songs from the 70s onwards and it's sad to be part of a slow crowd when the guys are busting a gut trying to introduce a fresher song to the set. Lastly, it was a classy set. Mike mentioned Brian as did Bruce and Carl also got his dedications on God Only Knows and Good Vibrations. Any kind of critic of these guys should go and see the show for themselves. Brian could not play a lot of these songs and certainly couldn't go for that length of time, so if you want a good time, go and see Mike & Bruce. You won't regret it. Whether it's 'The Beach Boys' or not is unimportant. These guys give their all every single night and keep much of the music alive with brilliant spirit. I've now seen Brian and Mike & Bruce and much to my amazement, there's little between the two shows in terms of a thrill. Brian's concert was much more affecting but Mike & Bruce was also a touching night too. Both parties deserve credit for putting SMiLES on faces. It's not impossible to like Mike AND Brian. If you get the chance to see the Beach Boys, absolutely do NOT turn it down. It is a great night and you won't leave disappointed. 50+ songs and 2 hour 15 minute sets, you can't argue with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Decemberists 0 Report post Posted November 23, 2004 Lastly, it was a classy set. Mike mentioned Brian as did Bruce and Carl also got his dedications on God Only Knows and Good Vibrations. Any kind of critic of these guys should go and see the show for themselves. Brian could not play a lot of these songs and certainly couldn't go for that length of time, so if you want a good time, go and see Mike & Bruce. You won't regret it. Whether it's 'The Beach Boys' or not is unimportant. These guys give their all every single night and keep much of the music alive with brilliant spirit. It's like Paul and Ringo going on tour as the Beatles. Although, percentage wise that would be more accurate than Mike and Bruce as the Beach Boys. I mean to have *one* original member? No, sorry. I'm sure the songs sound great and everything, and by are large they are great songs, but it's not right.... they need at least one Wilson brother. By the way, did you read Mike was at the last Smile gig? Apparantly just stood dead still at the back, arms crossed staring at Brian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted November 23, 2004 Was Bruce Johnston in the originial group, or did he join later? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murmuring Beast 0 Report post Posted November 23, 2004 Bruce joined in 1964/65 after Brian quit touring. He is an original in my eyes. He wasn't around when the group started but he was around that surf scene at the time (with Terry Melcher RIP) and was a perfect fit for the group. MIG, where did you hear about this Love story? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Decemberists 0 Report post Posted November 25, 2004 I read a review of the gig in... erm, i think it was Record Collector. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kimaster1976 Report post Posted November 29, 2004 Mike Love is a very jealous man, he has never been able to handle the fact that he has no musical talent whatsoever, and just like all the other "Beach Boys" past and present are making a living off the genius that was Brian Wilson. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Decemberists 0 Report post Posted November 29, 2004 Mike Love is a very jealous man, he has never been able to handle the fact that he has no musical talent whatsoever, and just like all the other "Beach Boys" past and present are making a living off the genius that was Brian Wilson. Spot on! Almost. Carl was, in my opinion, the best singer in the band and wrote some good/great songs and Dennis Wilsons solo albums are pretty brilliant. But they still owe it all to Brian. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murmuring Beast 0 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Mike was a very important member of the Beach Boys. Without his stage charisma, the band would have been very bad in the early days. Not only could they not really play very well in concert, no Wilson brother could hold the attention of the audience, outside of looks. And don't get me started on Al.... Mike got the crowd involved and hammed it up and people loved it. Plus his voice on some of the great Beach Boys songs could not have been bettered if I'm being honest. He alone didn't make those songs great or anything but he added something special. He doesn't have any musical talent per se, but he is a good singer and had a charisma that no other Beach Boys possessed. A great frontman. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
