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Post by Kapitan on Jul 23, 2021 13:49:40 GMT
I think adding a few solo songs into a band context would work better if the band were full of guys with solo careers. If the Beach Boys were still the Beach Boys, I'd totally understand them doing Love & Mercy, The River Song, What You Gonna Do About Me, I Write the Songs, etc.: one from everyone. (The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, a reunited Beatles most of all, could do this.)
But when it's just Mike and Bruce and they're just adding some Mike songs, that doesn't feel right.
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Post by kds on Jul 23, 2021 14:57:28 GMT
I think adding a few solo songs into a band context would work better if the band were full of guys with solo careers. If the Beach Boys were still the Beach Boys, I'd totally understand them doing Love & Mercy, The River Song, What You Gonna Do About Me, I Write the Songs, etc.: one from everyone. (The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, a reunited Beatles most of all, could do this.)
But when it's just Mike and Bruce and they're just adding some Mike songs, that doesn't feel right. I do agree that it might make more sense if they were a true group, kinda like when they did Heaven in the 1980s. But, I'm still not really a fan of it. If I were to lay out the crazy money to see The Eagles in concert, I'd much prefer Eagles songs to hearing them do Funk 49 or Boys of Summer. When I saw the Van Hagar reunion in 2004, I'd have rather had another VH song in the set over a Sammy only version of Eagles Fly. The original Black Sabbath did such short sets when I saw them in the first half of the 00s (60-70 mins), I'm glad they left Crazy Train off. I think I'd also be more forgiving to Mike's stuff if it really wanted it. Granted, I enjoyed a bulk of UTL, and even thought 12 Sides of Summer is a fun listen, but I'd rather those songs not appear in BB setlists.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 25, 2021 19:46:29 GMT
I have no problem with Mike doing solo stuff in his show. In fact, it's quite amusing to me that Mike "Traveling Jukebox" Love is the one with a few new songs in his shows, while Brian "Never Gonna Be a Traveling Oldies Jukebox" doesn't have anything newer than Love and Mercy in his show. The casual fan might be forgiven for thinking that Brian hasn't had an album out since 1988.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jul 25, 2021 22:02:09 GMT
All I Wanna Do:
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 25, 2021 22:09:19 GMT
Ooof. Not Mike's best moment.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 26, 2021 9:50:30 GMT
As far as members performing solo songs at a Beach Boys' concert, I would like to see it limited to, well, just one song. Really. If they (whoever) have a new solo album or a new single, OK, pick a song and perform it. It's not THAT big of a deal; one song out of what, 30-something songs. But, once you get into a couple of songs, that's where the audience will start to lose some patience and feel infringed upon. They're there to hear The Beach Boys' music, not Mike Love's, not Al's, and to a large extent, not Brian's.
The biggest problem with Mike performing his solo songs is that the songs are crap. They are easily the worst songs performed that night, and overall, they don't have much merit. And then there's always the fact that The Beach Boys' catalogue is so vast and so great, why waste my time on Mike's preachy new material when we could be hearing so many other classics. At least Brian knows his solo stuff is not very good and doesn't even attempt it (with the exception being his promotional tours for a solo album).
Of course there have been notable exceptions. Back in 1978, when Charles Lloyd was part of the touring band, they played both "Almost Summer" and "Cruisin'", but those were good songs, and they were Beach Boys-type songs, so the audience accepted them. And, in 1989, Brian was showing up at various Beach Boys' concerts and performing a mini three song set. That was different, too, because at that time, it was rare for Brian to appear live. It was a spectacle. But, you know, I was at a concert in Philadelphia in 1989 and saw Brian perform "Love And Mercy", "Walking The Line", and "Melt Away" (I think those were the three songs), and the audience was lukewarm in their applause. You woulda thought the people would be going nuts seeing Brian Wilson live, but they weren't. You got the feeling, even at that 1989 show, that they were thinking, "When are the Beach Boys coming back on stage?" Of course, those were the days of "Kokomo"...
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Post by kds on Jul 26, 2021 12:46:16 GMT
Where are they playing in this clip? With the tiles, it looks like somebody set up a stage in front of a public restroom.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 27, 2021 6:38:46 GMT
As far as members performing solo songs at a Beach Boys' concert, I would like to see it limited to, well, just one song. Really. If they (whoever) have a new solo album or a new single, OK, pick a song and perform it. It's not THAT big of a deal; one song out of what, 30-something songs. But, once you get into a couple of songs, that's where the audience will start to lose some patience and feel infringed upon. They're there to hear The Beach Boys' music, not Mike Love's, not Al's, and to a large extent, not Brian's.
The biggest problem with Mike performing his solo songs is that the songs are crap. They are easily the worst songs performed that night, and overall, they don't have much merit. And then there's always the fact that The Beach Boys' catalogue is so vast and so great, why waste my time on Mike's preachy new material when we could be hearing so many other classics. At least Brian knows his solo stuff is not very good and doesn't even attempt it (with the exception being his promotional tours for a solo album).
Of course there have been notable exceptions. Back in 1978, when Charles Lloyd was part of the touring band, they played both "Almost Summer" and "Cruisin'", but those were good songs, and they were Beach Boys-type songs, so the audience accepted them. And, in 1989, Brian was showing up at various Beach Boys' concerts and performing a mini three song set. That was different, too, because at that time, it was rare for Brian to appear live. It was a spectacle. But, you know, I was at a concert in Philadelphia in 1989 and saw Brian perform "Love And Mercy", "Walking The Line", and "Melt Away" (I think those were the three songs), and the audience was lukewarm in their applause. You woulda thought the people would be going nuts seeing Brian Wilson live, but they weren't. You got the feeling, even at that 1989 show, that they were thinking, "When are the Beach Boys coming back on stage?" Of course, those were the days of "Kokomo"...
It's long established that Beach Boys fans only want those hits recorded between 1962 and 1966. Anything later than that, forget it. Darlin'? "Never heard this one before, what is it?" I Can Hear Music? "who did this song?" Getcha Back? "is this a Billy Joel song?" So maybe you're right, maybe Brian and his band have the right idea. Just play the greatest hits, those 20 songs on Endless Summer, and forget the artistic stuff. But I admire that Mike is still trying to create new music. Is any of it gonna make us forget Surfer Girl or Fun, Fun, Fun? No, I don't expect it do. I suppose the same thing happens at Paul McCartney concerts when he tries to play something written after 1973. "Oh no, I can't believe he's actually singing Ebony and Ivory. I'm gonna go to the men's room, hope he'll be done when I get back". "What is this song called, My Great Place?" "Forget this Wings shit, I'm only here to hear Beatles songs!" I never imagined, growing up, that one day we would have 70 and 80 year old men singing songs they made popular when they were 20-25 years old. Back in the 80's, people were calling the Beach Boys OLD. Maybe we'd all be better off if rockers were forced to retire at 65. LOL, 25! How many great albums have been recorded by musicians OVER 25?
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 27, 2021 12:01:34 GMT
As far as members performing solo songs at a Beach Boys' concert, I would like to see it limited to, well, just one song. Really. If they (whoever) have a new solo album or a new single, OK, pick a song and perform it. It's not THAT big of a deal; one song out of what, 30-something songs. But, once you get into a couple of songs, that's where the audience will start to lose some patience and feel infringed upon. They're there to hear The Beach Boys' music, not Mike Love's, not Al's, and to a large extent, not Brian's.
The biggest problem with Mike performing his solo songs is that the songs are crap. They are easily the worst songs performed that night, and overall, they don't have much merit. And then there's always the fact that The Beach Boys' catalogue is so vast and so great, why waste my time on Mike's preachy new material when we could be hearing so many other classics. At least Brian knows his solo stuff is not very good and doesn't even attempt it (with the exception being his promotional tours for a solo album).
Of course there have been notable exceptions. Back in 1978, when Charles Lloyd was part of the touring band, they played both "Almost Summer" and "Cruisin'", but those were good songs, and they were Beach Boys-type songs, so the audience accepted them. And, in 1989, Brian was showing up at various Beach Boys' concerts and performing a mini three song set. That was different, too, because at that time, it was rare for Brian to appear live. It was a spectacle. But, you know, I was at a concert in Philadelphia in 1989 and saw Brian perform "Love And Mercy", "Walking The Line", and "Melt Away" (I think those were the three songs), and the audience was lukewarm in their applause. You woulda thought the people would be going nuts seeing Brian Wilson live, but they weren't. You got the feeling, even at that 1989 show, that they were thinking, "When are the Beach Boys coming back on stage?" Of course, those were the days of "Kokomo"...
It's long established that Beach Boys fans only want those hits recorded between 1962 and 1966. Anything later than that, forget it. Darlin'? "Never heard this one before, what is it?" I Can Hear Music? "who did this song?" Getcha Back? "is this a Billy Joel song?" So maybe you're right, maybe Brian and his band have the right idea. Just play the greatest hits, those 20 songs on Endless Summer, and forget the artistic stuff. But I admire that Mike is still trying to create new music. Is any of it gonna make us forget Surfer Girl or Fun, Fun, Fun? No, I don't expect it do. I suppose the same thing happens at Paul McCartney concerts when he tries to play something written after 1973. "Oh no, I can't believe he's actually singing Ebony and Ivory. I'm gonna go to the men's room, hope he'll be done when I get back". "What is this song called, My Great Place?" "Forget this Wings shit, I'm only here to hear Beatles songs!" I never imagined, growing up, that one day we would have 70 and 80 year old men singing songs they made popular when they were 20-25 years old. Back in the 80's, people were calling the Beach Boys OLD. Maybe we'd all be better off if rockers were forced to retire at 65. LOL, 25! How many great albums have been recorded by musicians OVER 25? Even being a diehard who has all the solo albums, most other Beach Boys-related stuff, and several bootlegs, the "traveling jukebox" approach never really bothered me. I guess I've always supported the "give the fans what they want" approach. Oh, I loved when the occasional rarity or obscure song popped up in the setlist, but it didn't significantly contribute to my overall enjoyment of the concert. The vocal performance was usually the most important element for me. I saw/heard some ragged vocal performances over the years. What I do wish they would've done was rotate the hits a little more, but I'm referring more to the 70's and 80's than today. I saw the band several times before "Don't Worry Baby" popped up. And "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Do You Wanna Dance", and "You're So Good To Me". Never did see "The Warmth Of Sun" live. But, again, inserting one or two deep tracks wasn't a make or break thing for me. I think I was/would've been more frustrated if they didn't play a certain hit or favorite than a deep album track. If you look back, you'll notice that the band usually did play a couple of songs from their new(est) album, and there was nothing wrong with that; actually it was commendable.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 27, 2021 15:48:31 GMT
Especially in a live environment, I think the term "rarity" is the term that makes sense to use! Classic hits? Obviously: that's why most everyone is going. New singles or material to promote? Sure: that's part of the deal. But old, deep cuts that weren't singles, or weren't successful, and have cult followings? "Cult followings" kind of says it all, doesn't it? You don't discard "I Get Around" to play "She's Goin' Bald," even though those three guys in the back with their arms folded in condescending judgment of the rest of the fans might like it...
For most fans most of the time, a couple of rarities or deep cuts are as much as they'll tolerate, much less want.
I do think continuing to promote new material is worthy, and even necessary if you want to project yourself as a truly active artist/band. But especially with this kind of band (whose history goes back so far, and who has so many hits), there just isn't a lot of real estate for those songs, either. Sure, you can do the BW Band "play the album" approach, but frankly I think that's usually a mistake anyway. A couple of the best songs generally suffices.
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Post by kds on Jul 27, 2021 16:01:06 GMT
Especially in a live environment, I think the term "rarity" is the term that makes sense to use! Classic hits? Obviously: that's why most everyone is going. New singles or material to promote? Sure: that's part of the deal. But old, deep cuts that weren't singles, or weren't successful, and have cult followings? "Cult followings" kind of says it all, doesn't it? You don't discard "I Get Around" to play "She's Goin' Bald," even though those three guys in the back with their arms folded in condescending judgment of the rest of the fans might like it...
For most fans most of the time, a couple of rarities or deep cuts are as much as they'll tolerate, much less want.
I do think continuing to promote new material is worthy, and even necessary if you want to project yourself as a truly active artist/band. But especially with this kind of band (whose history goes back so far, and who has so many hits), there just isn't a lot of real estate for those songs, either. Sure, you can do the BW Band "play the album" approach, but frankly I think that's usually a mistake anyway. A couple of the best songs generally suffices.
That's the thing with The Beach Boys is that they have so many hits, it leaves little room for other material. Although, I think over the last decade, M&B have done a decent job at throwing in some less than obvious songs, like Farmer's Daughter, Good to My Baby, I'm So Young, All This is That, Aren't You Glad, Their Hearts Were Full of Spring, All I Wanna Do, and I'm Waiting for the Day. And now, adding It's About Time and Feel Flows. There are some shows when they stick to a 32 song all hits setlist, usually if it's an outdoor beach / fair venue, or when they do two shows in a day.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 27, 2021 16:16:38 GMT
Yeah, it's a good problem to have, a long and successful career. The McCartneys, Dylans, and Beach Boys of the world certainly have a lot of songs that people really want to hear. They go about it differently (especially Dylan, who of course plays whatever he wants, however he wants), but that's their reality: balancing popular expectations, with their own artistic muses, with their own hardcore fans who want something rare.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 27, 2021 16:49:17 GMT
If you look back to any era of The Beach Boys, but especially the late 1970's, 1980's, and the 1990's - which are the most criticized eras for being the traveling jukebox - you'll find that, for the most part, they played a couple songs from their most recent/new album, a "deep track" which I think usually featured Carl, and the odd cover or two which wasn't necessarily a cover that appeared on their albums. I mean, they did have SOME surprises. It wasn't only Endless Summer, Spirit Of America, a couple Pet Sounds' tracks, and good night.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Sept 15, 2021 23:25:09 GMT
I was on their website and noticed a number of shows don't have the "MIKE LOVE" designation. I assume it doesn't mean anything, but odd nonetheless...
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 507
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Post by Emdeeh on Oct 19, 2021 19:38:27 GMT
A couple of new dates for Mike and Bruce, for 2021:
Dec. 29 -- Welch, MN -- Treasure Island, Island Event Center Dec. 31 -- Uncasville, CT -- Mohegan Sun
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