On Saturday, September 26, 2009 I had the opportunity to see The Beach Boys in concert at the Valley View Casino in Valley Center (San Diego), California. I actually got first row tickets from Ticketmaster because I called them right when the tickets went on sale! Here is my story.
Since I was born and raised in San Diego, I’ve known about The Beach Boys since I was a kid. I recall my Mom liking them, smiling and humming their songs when I was very young. However, my first personal experience in memory was from a Robin Williams movie in 1988. “Good Morning Vietnam!” screamed the zany actor. When I was 14, I wasn’t allowed to listen to a number of bands (e.g. Ozzy Osbourne and anyone who “looked really gross” or sang about controversial things). However, I was allowed to listen to a number of movie soundtracks and Good Morning Vietnam was one of them. I remember hearing the song, “I Get Around” and thinking it was cool. At barely 2 minutes long, I recall listening to it several times in a row.
Later that year, a song called Kokomo was released (and The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame). I liked its tropical feel and the lyrics took me away to another place like Hawaii (where I visited yearly each summer with my parents, starting in 1986). Even though it didn’t mention Hawaii, it mentioned so many tropical places that I assumed Hawaii should have been in there somewhere. Although I probably couldn’t identify them at the time, I liked the steel drums and harmonies. I even bought the cassette single (remember those?). Now I don’t even have a cassette player. Fortunately, I have the song on .mp3.
I’ve always been a huge fan of music, but I became much more critical in college because I would turn off the television and listen to it closely. I’d talk about it with my roommate Chris Clayton and we’d dissect it. He’d dutifully raise one hand in the air and put his other hand to his lips and say “Shhhhh, listen” when the best parts were coming up. As an avid surfer and a huge fan of only great music, I recall Chris liking The Beach Boys in our college dorms and in my first apartment that we shared. I valued his opinion, but I remember being a little skeptical until he pointed out the fact that they had amazing vocal harmonies and liked to sing about surfing. Even now, I cannot think of another band that has such great vocal harmonies. Only John Lennon and Paul McCartney come close.
In 2007-2008, I became serious about music again. I began to let go of some of my hobbies and focused on music – listening to music, experiencing live music and playing and teaching the guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. It became a serious passion and still is to this day. I also realized that I needed to attend far more concerts! Now, I have a list of about 18 living bands that I want to see (but have never seen) and a list of upcoming shows that I either have tickets for or want tickets for. The Beach Boys finally join four other bands that were on this list - Duran Duran, The Offspring, Green Day and Motley Crue.
Formed in 1961, The Beach Boys have released 28 albums! According to Billboard, they have sold more singles and albums than any other American band. They’ve also had thirty-six Top 40 hits in the United States! In case you were wondering, these are phenomenal numbers.
Boasting eight musicians, the current Beach Boys band is larger than most bands, helping them to create a rich, layered sound. As far as membership goes, it is much different than it was in 1961. The only founding member in the current band is Mike Love who sings lead vocals and emcees their concerts. He informed us that The Beach Boys had a doo wop influence from the 1940’s (which was made popular in the 1950’s and 60’s). Mike had and still has a fantastic voice. He is a big guy and his high vocal register doesn’t seem to fit his person, but he has a wide range and knows how to hit the right notes. He was also a pleasantly witty and cool host, as he occasionally spoke in between songs and made jokes, introduced band members and told us about their band and songs.
Even though he can’t be considered a founding member, Bruce Johnston joined the band in 1965 and he is currently touring with them. At Valley View, he sang some harmony parts and played the keyboard. His first vocal recording with The Beach Boys was on the song California Girls in 1965 (a song that Van Halen immortalized in 1985). Johnston has the ability to hit the high falsetto notes and he harmonizes very nicely with Love and the other (previous and current) band members.
The Beach Boys played about 20 of their hit songs at Valley View and I was very happy to hear all of my favorites! They included songs like California Girls, Help Me, Rhonda, Good Vibrations, I Get Around, Kokomo, Surfin’ Safari, Surfin’ USA, Surfer Girl, Be True to Your School, Fun, Fun, Fun, Little Deuce Coupe, Barbara Ann, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, 409, Catch A Wave and God Only Knows. I wondered how they could squeeze so many songs into their concert, then I remembered how a lot of their songs are two minutes long!
Living in San Diego, I’m always tickled about the way they mention several of our beaches in the song Surfin’ U.S.A. The first beach on their list is Del Mar – which is about 15 minutes from me. They also mention La Jolla (which neighbors my Pacific Beach home). I’ve been to both of those beaches and several others they mention like Waimea Bay, Trestles and Sunset (if they’re referring to Sunset Cliffs). I’ve seen Swami’s from the top of the giant cliff above the beach and I’ve visited the peaceful gardens there, but I haven’t been to that beach, yet. I’ll have to visit soon!
During The Beach Boys concert at Valley View, many of the band members took turns singing. In addition to Mike Love, both electric guitarists (Scott Totten and Christian Love) sang songs and the drummer (John Cowsill) sang. They all sounded good and were able to simultaneously play their instruments without a hitch. As I mentioned before, Johnston also sang harmonies while playing the keyboard.
While their effect-driven keyboard solos and warm, tube amp, twangy guitar solos and hooks are great, one of the more notable aspects of The Beach Boys’ music is their bass lines. I noticed the current bassist Randell Kirsch playing quickly all over the neck. If you are one of those people who like groovy bass lines and licks that aren’t easily duplicated, you’ll dig The Beach Boys because they frequently avoid settling for simplicity.
The last thing that I find notable about The Beach Boys is their lyrical content. While many of their contemporaries in the 1960’s (and over the last five decades) were talking about war, politics, sex and drugs, The Beach Boys were singing about surfing, driving cars and treating women right. Perhaps this is why there were so many older people at the concert – which is pretty sad and lame, if you think about it. Frankly, I was shocked that there weren’t more people in their 20’s and 30’s there (and even teens). This music is family-friendly and awesome and it’s a downright shame that people of all ages aren’t having fun listening to it. When you don’t want to worry or consider contentious issues and when you’re looking to think about the beach and having fun, you can always turn on The Beach Boys.
Going to The Beach Boys concert was a fantastic experience. These guys know how to bring it and they rocked Valley View on Saturday night. I hope to see them again one day!
