I never much cared for the Beach Boys. They were a bunch of California beach bums with a knack for catchy tunes and insipid lyrics. But they were legends, there was no denying it. In 1977 I attended a Beach Boys concert at the old Civic Auditorium and was completely appalled by the screaming girls, the blind devotion , the syrupy banter and by a drunk Dennis Wilson croaking out an unintelligible version of "You Are So Beautiful", 6 years before he got really drunk and fell off a pier and drowned, We ended up sitting on the floor of the arena, ears plugged, waiting for it to stop.The Beach Boys are still around, in various versions, and Max's Dad and Max attended the Omaha Symphony featuring the version that contains one original member, Mike Love, and a sort of original member, Bruce Johnston, along with an actually living Cowsill, and four younger musicians . Johnston bounded onstage looking like the crazy uncle you have to bail out of jail every now and then was followed by the band and finally by Mike Love, who looks like your goofy grandpa who's been married 6 or 7 times and has kept his Moondoggie nickname into his 60's.
A much older Max's Dad, and those same much older screaming girls from 1977 had fun, fun, fun. Love moves like a sloth, Johnston doesn't do much but sing background and clap but the younger guys were in good form singing a variety of 60's songs, not all Beach Boys tunes. I was half expecting John Cowsill, playing keyboards, to launch into "The Rain, The Park, And Other Things.
Max gave it a thumbs up, "not as good as Metallica" but ok. Hey, not to be syrupy, but spending time with a head banging 12 year old made it more fun than last time, that's for sure.
2 comments:
I was a huge fan of the Beach Boys from about 1964-1968. I loved their melodies and harmonies. It was only years later I learned about Brian Wilson being simultaneously a bozo and a genius. Today, years later, listening to the LP "Pet Sounds" and also comparing songs like "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows" with other pop songs of the era (my collection includes EVERYTHING pop/rock from about 1964-1969, plus lots before and after), I truly understand and appreciate his genius. He even inspired the Beatles' masterful "Sgt. Pepper's", so he can't be all bad. That Max could enjoy the much-later version of that group is, I think, also a tribute to them. For, when I was young in the 1960s and early 1970s, I HATED Glenn Miller and Frank Sinatra and Jo Stafford (although NOW I like much of that, too). The Beach Boys had, and apparently still have, a vibrant and easily accessible style to their tunes that I wish we had more of today.
You nailed it, Jack. Music I didn't care for then, I appreciate now and music I loved back then, well let's just say what was I thinking? When Mike Love launched into Do It Again about 20 minutes in, I was hooked. Great stuff.
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