Wednesday January 15, 1964
Festival Hall, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia-with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows at 6:00 and 8:45 PM)
These were the first dates of a two-week tour of Australia and New Zealand, the Beach Boys first trip outside of the United States. The legendary Roy Orbison, who had recently toured with the Beatles, and was known for hits like “Crying” and “In Dreams,” was the headliner. The Surfaris, a mainly instrumental surf band, famous for their hit recording “Wipe Out,” Paul and Paula, a duo from Texas known for their hit “Hey Paula” and the Joy Boys, an Australian surf music group who had scored on the local charts with “Murphie the Surfie”, rounded out the bill. Surf music was extremely popular in Australia and most of the shows were sold out.
The touring party landed in Sydney on January 13, pictured in the photo, and was greeted by 300 crazed Australian teenagers at the airport. The Brisbane Telegraph reported that “the teenagers, mostly girls, many of them barefooted, forced their way into a private lounge, trampled gardens, knocked over chairs and clambered over a 10ft high partition to obtain autographs from the entertainers.” The Beach Boys remained in Sydney for two days of promotion before flying to Brisbane on the 15th. The opening shows were very successful. The Brisbane Courier Mail reported that, “Festival Hall last night nearly lost its roof…after what was the wildest show it has ever had.”
Friday January 17 and Saturday January 18, 1964
Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia-with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows on Friday at 6:00 and 8:45 PM and three shows on Saturday at 2:30, 6:00 and 8:45 PM)
The local radio station at one of the concerts on Friday night recorded three songs, “Papa Oom Mow Mow”, “Little Deuce Coupe” and “What’d I Say”. The Beach Boys’ version of “What’d I Say” was released in 1981 on the Australian Rarities album.
Monday January 20, 1964
Centennial Hall, Adelaide, South Australia- with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows at 6:00 and 8:45 PM)
The Advertiser reviewer did not mention the Beach Boys by name but stated briefly, “close to 6,000 clapping, stomping, whistling, screaming teenagers in the seats rocked Centennial Hall, Wayville, last night.”
Tuesday January 21 and Wednesday January 22, 1964
Festival Hall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia-with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows each night at 6:00 and 8:45 PM)
The Melbourne Herald reported that “the Surfies were in full swing as the top American guitar and vocal groups, the Surfaris and the Beach Boys, followed suit. The Surfaris, surprisingly un-bronzed under the bright lights, tested our eardrums with their guitars and cymbals: the Beach Boys, looking less beachy than even the Surfaris, presented surf songs that reached top notch on the American charts.” The New Zealand/Australia tour was a big success, with huge crowds at most of the venues, but Murry’s presence resulted in a great deal of strife. The group simply could not stand traveling with him anymore. As Carl recalled in 1976, “Brian and Michael especially, wanted to not have my father involved because he screwed them up with chicks, you know? We’d want to find a girl to be with, the thing on the road, and he was really kind of prudish about it.”
Thursday January 23, 1964
Town Hall, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia- with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two Shows at 6:00 and 8:45 PM)
This was the Beach Boys last show in Australia on this tour. The next day they returned to Melbourne and then flew with the rest of the tour to Wellington, New Zealand, landing at Rongotai airport around 7:00 PM. The tour party spent the night at the Mutual Motor Lodge, before flying on to Invercargill the next morning.
Saturday January 25, 1964
Civic Theatre, Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand- with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Three shows at 2:15, 5:00 and 8:30 PM)
The tour group landed at Invercargill on Saturday morning and held a “meet and greet” at the airport at 11:30 AM. The tour proved just as popular in New Zealand as it had in Australia. The two planned shows sold out and a matinee was added due to the high demand. The Southland Daily News reviewer reported that “The Beach Boys were quite an entertaining group and their surfin’ numbers went across well. Even though they were an almost identical combination to ‘The Surfaris’ they overshadowed them somewhat. The group’s saxophonist was humorous and during his version of ‘The Monster Mash’ he had the audience rollicking.”
Monday January 27 and Tuesday January 28, 1964
Theatre Royal, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand - with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows each night at 6:00 and 8:30 PM)
The tour arrived at Harewood Airport in Christchurch on Sunday the 26th at 11:45 AM. On Monday morning, Al gave an interview over breakfast to a reporter from The Christchurch Star. He declared that he got a “terrific kick from success…it’s good to be able to go around the world without having to be in the army.” The Christchurch Press panned most of the acts on the bill, suggesting that only Roy Orbison had real stage presence. However, it threw some faint praise at Mike, noting, “He danced and jigged in stocking feet, and achieved some strange contortions in an offbeat number called ‘Monster Mash.’ No doubt the audience wondered what the submerged words were, because the guitars drowned out every one. It may have been just as well, because the group hit a high proportion of wrong notes when they tried to harmonize a slow song about Graduation Day.”
Wednesday January 29, 1964
Town Hall, Wellington, North Island, New Zealand- with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM)
The Wellington Evening Post reviewer stated that, “the longest surfie spot went to the Beach Boys, wearing open neck blue shirts and slacks and with longish hair which added to their wind-swept look…They are an exceptionally young group and are led by the big brother of three of the members whose high spiritedness infects the others. ‘Surfin’ USA’ went over well, like all the other numbers, and the audience was in no mood to let them go.” The photo was taken in Sydney and shows the BBs and Surfaris with contest winners at a special breakfast.
Thursday January 30, 1964
Founders Hall, Hamilton, North Island, New Zealand-with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM)
Friday January 31, 1964
Town Hall, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand- with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Two shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM)
The Auckland Star enthused that “musically, the Beach Boys provided the best material of the night with some surprisingly smooth harmony, particularly in the tuneful ‘Graduation Day.’”
Saturday February 1, 1964
Town Hall, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand- with Roy Orbison, the Joy Boys, Paul and Paula and the Surfaris (Three shows at 2:00, 6:00 and 8:30 PM)
While they gave most of their attention to headliner Roy Orbison, the New Zealand Herald noted, “The Beach Boys contributed an element of comedy and some slow beat surfing songs which were very easy to listen to.”
Thursday February 6 to Sunday February 9, 1964
Winter nationals Custom Car Show, Great Western Exhibit Center, Los Angeles, CA-with Dick Dale and Joe and Eddie
The Beach Boys performed at least one night and possibly more at this event that they'd also played the previous year. Also on the bill was the legendary guitarist Dick Dale and the folk duo Joe and Eddie
Saturday February 8, 1964
Pavalon Skating Rink, Huntington Beach, CA-with the Surf Riders
According to a fan who saved his ticket stub from this concert the Beach Boys were not the headliners at this concert promoted by KRLA disc jockey Casey Kasem. The small venue, with room for about 600, catered to a tough surfing crowd that had little love for the “Hollywood” Beach Boys.
Sunday February 9, 1964
Arthritis and Rheumatism Telethon,Channel 5 TV, Los Angeles, CA-hosted by Johnny Grant
The BBs appeared live at 10 AM with Bobby Pickett, Tommy Kirk, Roberta Shore and others on this televised telethon.
Friday February 21, 1964
Hoquiam High School, Hoquiam, WA-with the Beachcombers & Shirley Owens, the Capris with Gail Harris and the Chandells (10:00 PM Show)
Saturday February 22, 1964
“1964 All Star Revue”, Seattle Opera House, Seattle WA-with Bobby Vinton, Trini Lopez, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, Mel Carter, and the Cascades (Three shows at 2:00, 6:00 and 9:00 PM)
In addition to the famed crooner Bobby Vinton, also on the bill were Trini Lopez, who had a big hit in 1963 with ‘If I had a Hammer,’ Mel Carter (who’d later become associated with the 1965 song ‘Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me’), Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs (who’d scored a number one hit in 1963 with ‘Sugar Shack’) and the Cascades, a vocal group most well-known for the 1962 hit ‘Rhythm of the Rain.’
Sunday February 23, 1964
Spokane Coliseum, Spokane, WA-with Jimmy Gilmer and the Cascades (8:00 PM Show)
Friday February 28, 1964
Cupertino High School, Cupertino CA (Afternoon show)
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose CA-with the Rip Chords, the Dartells, The Surfaris, Bruce and Terry, Chris Crosby, Ramona King and The Preps
The group played that afternoon without Brian who was present for the evening show in San Jose.
The other acts on the evening show in San Jose included Bruce and Terry, a California duo composed of Doris Day’s son Terry Melcher (who soon achieved fame for producing records by Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Byrds) and future Beach-Boy Bruce Johnston. They had a local California hit with ‘Custom Machine.’ The duo also produced and sang on records by another act on the bill, the Rip Chords, who had a big hit with ‘Hey Little Cobra,’ with Melcher on lead. Ramona King was an African American singer who’d scored with ‘It’s In His Kiss.’ The Surfaris, who’d toured Australia with the BBs, Bing Crosby’s nephew Chris Crosby and the Dartells, who’d had a hit with ‘Hot Pastrami’ on Dot Records, filled out the bill.
Circa March 2 to March 6, 1964
"The Lost Concert" NBC TV Studios, Burbank, CA
The Beach Boys taped a special concert before a live audience for the National General Corporation. The footage was edited and shown in theaters along with film of the Beatles concert appearance in Washington DC and live footage of Leslie Gore. Dressed in their striped shirts, the Beach Boys performed “Fun, Fun, Fun”, “Long Tall Texan”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Surfer Girl”, “Monster Mash”, “Surfin’ USA”, “Shut Down”, “In My Room”, “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow”, and “Hawaii.” Although Keith Badman listed the taping date as March 14 and I followed this in my book, it is now clear that it was actually taped a week earlier. An article from Tuesday March 10 states that it was taped the previous week.
Friday March 6, 1964
Bellflower Rollarena, Bellflower, CA
After this show the Beach Boys taped an appearance on the NBC TV Steve Allen Show in San Diego. Dressed in their matching striped shirts, they performed “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Surfin’ USA” before a live audience. This show (which aired on March 27) survives in its entirety and portions of the Beach Boys performance were used in the 1998 documentary Endless Harmony.
Saturday March 28, 1964
Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA (Two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 PM)
Friday April 3, 1964
Whitttier HS Auditorium, Whittier, CA-with Mahalia Jackson, Andre Previn, Andy Williams and Pat Boone
This show was a special benefit concert. The proceeds went to the Metabolic Unit of UCLA Medical School and to the Susan Townsend Scholarship Fund
Saturday April 11, 1964
Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA-with Chuck Berry, Paul and Paula, Bessie Banks, Bobby Rydell, Gloria Scott, The Coasters, Marvin Gaye, Round Robin and the Pyramids
I discovered this show after the publication of my book. The photo shows the Beach Boys filming their performance of Girls on the Beach for the film of the same name in April 1964.
The all-star bill included the legendary Chuck Berry, the famed duo Paul and Paula (known for the song ‘Hey Paula’), teen idol Bobby Rydell (who’d starred in the hit film Bye-Bye Birdie with Ann Margaret the previous year), the great Motown star Marvin Gaye and the famed Coasters. Also on the bill was R&B singer Bessie Banks, who was the first person to chart with the Lieber-Stoller song ‘Go Now’ (later popularized by the Moody Blues), Gloria Scott and the Tonettes, who’d released a single called ‘I Taught Him’ by Sylvester Stewart (the future Sly Stone), Round Robin, who had local hits with dance songs like ‘The Slauson’, and the Pyramids, a Surf band that had an instrumental hit with ‘Penetration.’
Friday May 8, 1964
Centennial Coliseum, Reno, NV (Two Shows)
Over 5,000 young fans attended these two wild shows, which were set up and promoted by Fred Vail. The Reno fans screamed so loud, that they could be heard over two blocks away. According to the reviewer, “While the Beach Boys…sang and danced, police noted at least three teen-age girls fainted…. The youngsters yelled themselves hoarse. The second show was comparatively quiet until final numbers. Then the kids went wild…. They danced in the aisles atop chairs, and even on the stage with the Beach Boys.”
Saturday May 9, 1964
Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, CA (Two shows at 7:00 and 9:30 PM)
The group played two benefit shows for the Sacramento Easter Seals Society. Arriving in Sacramento at 10:30 AM the boys were presented with the key to the city by Mayor James B. McKinney at the Municipal Airport. Fred Vail who was still promoting occasional shows on their behalf recalled, “I was doing some shows but I couldn’t do a whole lot because I’m only one guy and I am doing all the leg work myself, finding the hall, booking PAs, setting up box office, etc. … So I only did a few shows a month if that. … William Morris was still booking them. It’s just that every time they did a show with me they made more money than with other promoters.”
Thursday May 14, 1964
Houston, TX
An article made clear that the Beach Boys would be appearing in Houston in addition to San Antonio and Dallas. However, unlike in those two cities no advertisements appeared in the Houston newspapers so we remain in the dark about where the concert took place. It is possible that the Houston show was after the San Antonio show and hence on May 17 not May 14. The photo is of the Beach Boys performing In My Room on the Red Skelton Show on CBS TV. The show aired on May 12 and was probably taped a few weeks before that.
Friday May 15, 1964
Southern Methodist University Coliseum, Dallas, TX-with the Jades, Bob Hayden and the Marksmen, Kirby St. Romaine and Scotty McKay (8:00 PM Show)
This appears to have been the Beach Boys first appearance in Dallas
Saturday May 16, 1964
Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, TX-with Barbara Lynn,Little Johnny Taylor, Bobby Hayden and the Marksmen, Dawn Six and the Rel-Yeas (8:00 PM Show)
Saturday May 23, 1964
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR-with the Viceroys, Nino Tempo and April Stevens and Ray Stevens (8:00 PM Show)
KISN radio sponsored this show, billed as “The All Star Revue,” with the Beach Boys as headliners. Also on the bill were the popular Seattle group the Viceroys, who had a big regional hit with ‘Granny’s Pad,’ the brother-sister duo of Nino Tempo and April Stevens who’d scored a number one in 1963 with ‘Deep Purple’ (covered by Brian Wilson in 1977) and the famed country singer Ray Stevens, who had big novelty hits with songs such as ‘Ahab the Arab.’
David Higginbotham, who’d also attended the band’s 1963 Portland appearance, recalled, “The big distinction between the 1963 appearance and this one, besides the fact that this time Brian was there, was that they were obviously much more polished. They weren’t quite as loud and brash. …They obviously had a backlog of hits and great songs that they’d worked up.” The most exciting moment of the show occurred at the end. “I Get Around” had just been released as a single and Higginbotham recalled, “When they came onstage for their encore, I think Mike said ‘Ladies and Gentlemen we have a special treat for you. We’re going to debut our new single, which just came out.’ And then they sang ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Don’t Worry Baby.’”
Friday June 12 and Saturday June 13, 1964
Lagoon, Farmington, UT
Unfortunately none of the Beach Boys appearances at the Lagoon in the 1960s were reviewed in the Salt Lake papers
Friday June 26, 1964
Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA-with Bobby Freeman, Rene and Rene and the Paris Sisters
Friday July 3 and Saturday July 4, 1964
"Million Dollar Party" HIC International Arena, Honolulu, HI -with Bruce & Terry, Jan & Dean, the Righteous Brothers, the Kingsmen, Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin, the Rivingtons, Ray Peterson, Jody Miller, Jimmy Clanton and Peter & Gordon (One show at 7:30 PM on Friday and three shows at 2:00, 6:30 and 9:00 PM on Saturday)
Wayne Harada of the Honolulu Star Bulletin attended the Friday night concert, along with 7,000 screaming fans, and wrote that “the Beach Boys, who originated the surfing and hot rod trends in music last year, offered 13 hit tunes, including ‘Hawaii,’ ‘409,’ ‘Surfin’ Safari,’ and ‘I Get Around.’ The headliners showed they were capable of handling ballads, singing ‘Surfer Girl,’ ‘In My Room’ and ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ a la Four Freshmen.”
Sunday July 5, 1964
"Million Dollar Party" Bloch Arena, Honolulu, HI (2:00 PM Show)
Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, HI (7:30 PM show)- Both shows with Bruce & Terry, Jan & Dean, the Righteous Brothers, the Kingsmen, Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin, the Rivingtons, Ray Peterson, Jody Miller, Jimmy Clanton and Peter & Gordon
In 1989 during a ‘camp fire’ singalong for the Beach Boys’ TV show, Bruce Johnston recalled that the UK duo Peter and Gordon were unused to the weather in Hawaii and soon got horribly burned by the sun so that they were ‘as red as this fire’, while Al recalled that Jan and Dean tied themselves up backstage like mummies in ‘medicinal gauze.’ Mike recalled that during the Hawaii shows the duo also ran on stage at one point to shoot the Beach Boys with fire extinguishers.
The Beach Boys left for the mainland immediately after the evening show so that they could be in Arizona the next night.
Monday July 6, 1964
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ -with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8 PM Show)
This was the opening show of the “Summer Safari Tour,” a 33-day trek across the United States in a rented Greyhound bus. The other acts on the tour were the Kingsmen (who'd scored big the year before with "Louie, Louie"), Jimmy Griffin (best known for his later work with the band Bread) and Freddy Cannon (of 'Tallahassee Lassie' and 'Palisades Park' fame). Cannon became ill halfway through the tour and was replaced by Eddie Hodges (a child actor most famous for his 1961 single "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door") for the remaining shows. The Arizona Daily Star reported that the BBs performed 15 songs "ranging from love songs to instrumental pieces. Some of the songs sounded much like the others, but the one thing they all had in common was deafening loudness. Credit for the loudest song must go to the group's version of 'Let's Go Trippin'."
Tuesday July 7, 1964
Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8 PM Show)
The photo shows the BBs with the DJs from KQEO radio in Albuquerque
Wednesday July 8, 1964
Memorial Auditorium, Amarillo, TX-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen
While it is known that the Beach Boys played in Amarillo on this night, the concert was not advertised in the newspapers. This was not uncommon in 1964. Many rock shows were advertised on radio or in flyers. The group apparently did not enjoy playing this show. They remarked to writer Earl Leaf that the audiences in Amarillo and San Antonio, where they played in May, were “the coldest they’ve ever seen. The kids there seem to be saying, ‘we dare you to entertain us!’”
Thursday July 9, 1964
Spring Lake Amusement Park, Oklahoma City, OK -with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 8:00 and 10:00 PM)
This was a popular outdoor venue in Oklahoma City and the Beach Boys apparently went over well here. They returned for six more shows in late August. One fan recalled that a fistfight broke out at one of these concerts between boys from two rival schools. “Every member of the Beach Boys, except the drummer, moved to the edge of the stage and looked down with glee at the melee below. And they never missed a note: True professionals.”
Friday July 10, 1964
Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa, OK-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:30 PM Show)
Saturday July 11, 1964
Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, NE-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:00 PM Show)
Sunday July 12, 1964
Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO -with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:30 PM Show)
Although the show was not reviewed, a fan that attended the concert wrote a letter to the Kansas City Star to complain about the audience’s unruly behavior. She wrote, “Someone had to throw something on the stage. It hit Dennis Wilson, the drummer, on the face and he could not continue in the show. One of them said that something like that had never happened before-but it happened in Kansas City.” The drummer from the Kingsmen sat in for Dennis.
Monday July 13, 1964
Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, Des Moines, IA-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:00 PM Show)
According to the unimpressed reviewer Donald Kaul, “more than 5,000 youngsters turned out to hear the Beach Boys and assorted other ‘singing’ groups in concert…Wearing tight white pants and yellow shirts open at the throat, they (the Beach Boys) bounded onto the stage and promptly gave imitations of pots and pans falling downstairs (although they called it something else)…Several hundred of the younger children in the young audience immediately rushed to the edge of the stage and tried to touch their heroes. One felt pity for the policemen who attempted to keep order around the stage area.”
Tuesday July 14, 1964
RKO Orpheum Theater, Davenport, IA-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM)
The Davenport Times reported, "The quintet captured the youthful audience with several of their current hits-'409', 'Surfing' USA,' 'Little Deuce Coupe' and 'I Get Around.' Traveling on tour in the Midwest, the Beach Boys feel that midland teens are friendlier, but more conservative than teens in larger, eastern cities."
Wednesday July 15, 1964
Kiel Auditorium, St Louis, MO -with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 6:30 and 9:00 PM)
Thursday July 16, 1964
Kentucky State Fairgrounds, Louisville, KY-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:30 PM Show)
Dennis was attacked by a mob of female fans after this show and knocked out, suffering three stitches.
Friday July 17, 1964
Indiana Beach, Shafer Lake, Monticello, IN -with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows between 8:45 PM and 12:45 AM)
Saturday July 18, 1964
Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN-with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:00 PM Show)
This was the first of numerous appearances by the Beach Boys at this venue. As usual the girls showed up to scream. The screaming actually proved useful at this show. According to a fan, “The mike went dead on Brian twice but the show went on as though nothing had happened.”
Sunday July 19, 1964
Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI –with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 3:00 and 8:00 PM)
Dressed in gray slacks and striped shirts, the group performed before 6, 231 people, most screaming teenage girls. The Milwaukee Journal reported,"Beach Boys songs are distinguishable from the other sounds which today's teenagers are using for music by unusual harmonizing and the falsetto voices of leader Mike Love and arranger Brian Wilson. On the ballad In My Room there was even a suggestion of Four Freshmen influence."
Monday July 20, 1964
Industrial Mutual Auditorium, Flint, MI–with Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen
Prior to the 8 PM show, the Beach Boys and Freddie Cannon autographed records at The Fair Record Store at 4 PM
Tuesday July 21, 1964
Coconut Lounge, Urbana, OH-with Freddie Cannon, Jimmy Griffin, Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 7:30 and 10:00 PM)
The Beach Boys were one of many pop acts to play at this well-known venue on Lakewood Beach, a few miles from Urbana, Ohio.
Wednesday July 22, 1964
Baer Field Raceways, Fort Wayne, IN-with Freddie Cannon, Jimmy Griffin, Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:00 PM Show)
Fort Wayne was listed on the itinerary, printed in the August 26th Billboard Magazine, as among the 32 cities visited on this tour by the Beach Boys. However, when I wrote my book I was unable to learn the exact date or venue. Recently, I finally found an advertisement for this concert, which took place at the Baer Field Raceways. Built in 1962 next to Fort Wayne's airport, the speedway venue held many auto races, as well as the occasional concert.
Thursday July 23, 1964
Capitol Theater, Madison, WI- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin, Lynne Easton, the Kingsmen, the Dynastics and the Novells (Two shows at 7:00 and 9:30 PM)
The Daily Cardinal reviewer exclaimed, “Have you ever heard an air raid siren? It’s nothing compared to the shrieks which went through the young ladies lips and reverberated throughout the theatre. The five ‘Surfer Kings’ acknowledged the noise, but for a moment they seemed a little perplexed, because everybody kept screaming for the drummer, Denny. He had his blond hair flopping in front of his forehead, much like his English counterpart Ringo. Finally Denny came down from his stand and sang a song. Have you ever heard an air raid siren?” Jane Wolman and Rick Sweet of the Wisconsin State Journal, while acknowledging that the screaming crowd made it difficult to hear, added that “the group was cool, its surfing beat was loud and bright and its performance was worth waiting for, even an hour and a half.”
Friday July 24, 1964
Arie Crown Theater, Chicago, IL- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys second appearance in Chicago was unfortunately ignored by all the newspaper reporters in the area, though advertisements for the show appeared in many papers.
Saturday July 25, 1964
Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium, La Crosse, WI-with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 PM)
Reviewing the show in his column, Lindy Shannon wrote, “As they strolled on stage, 1,500 teens grabbed the neatly arranged chairs in the auditorium, and went scrambling for the front of the stage. For a few moments it was pandemonium. Then they settled down to the normal crowd noises that seemed to engulf the entire evening, as they clapped their hands, stomped their feet, and sang along to the familiar songs of their times, ‘Little Deuce Coupe,’ ‘Shut Down,’ ‘Surfer Girl.’ Even when three of the members had a disagreement on stage during their finale of ‘I Get Around,’ the audience didn’t seem to mind, because that was a precious night to the young folk of the area. The idols of millions of teens around the world were performing within reaching distance.”
Tuesday July 28, 1964
Auditorium Theater, Denver, CO- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:15 PM Show)
This show was originally scheduled for Red Rocks, but the venue was changed at the last minute.
Wednesday July 29, 1964
Lagoon, Farmington, UT- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:00 PM Show)
Over 3, 500 teenagers turned out for this show, breaking the Lagoon’s weekday attendance record. Unfortunately none of the Beach Boys 1960s appearances at the Lagoon were reviewed by local newspapers. I'd love to see photos of these shows-but none have ever turned up on the internet.
Thursday July 30, 1964
State Building Auditorium, Reno, NV- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 7:00 and 9:30 PM)
Friday July 31, 1964
Oakland Civic Auditorium, Oakland, CA- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin, Rene and Rene and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys sole bay area appearance on the tour attracted tons of fans. The Oakland Tribune reported that the Beach Boys had kids “squealing, screaming and dancing in the aisles. Girls jumped out of their chairs and began to dance, and several boys tried to get on stage and demonstrate their surfing steps…Although the Beach Boys have their devoted followers who think they outclass the Beatles, the most popular member of the group was the drummer, the only one with a Beatles haircut.”
Saturday August 1, 1964
Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, CA - with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 7:00 and 9:30 PM)
These two shows were recorded by Capitol Records for a live album. The Concert LP that ultimately appeared is a combination of recordings from the December 21, 1963 Sacramento appearance and this one. However, very little from the 1964 shows appeared on the record. Although the Beach Boys performed their recent singles “I Get Around” and “Fun, Fun, Fun” at both shows on this night, Brian was not happy with the performances and the group held a special recording session to “fix” these two songs. A tape in the Beach Boys vaults has sweetened versions of the two songs recorded on August 31. However, Brian ultimately decided not to use the concert versions at all and instead the studio versions of both numbers were overdubbed with crowd noise and slightly sped up. In addition, a comparison of the existing live tapes shows that Brian rerecorded his introduction to “Monster Mash.”
Sunday August 2, 1964
Veterans Memorial Building, Santa Rosa, CA- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 4:00 and 8:00 PM)
Monday August 3, 1964
Memorial Auditorium, Fresno, CA- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:00 PM Show)
Over 2,800 local teenagers attended this wild show and 100 girls chased the group when they left the auditorium that night.
Tuesday August 4, 1964
Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, CA- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:15 PM show)
The Santa Barbara News Press writer who attended this concert reported that “The headliners of the evening, the Beach Boys, received the warmest reception of the evening…Wearing sun yellow shirts and gray pants, the No. 1 singing group in the nation sang their current hits, ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Don’t Worry Baby,’ along with a variety of other tunes including ‘The Monster Mash,’ ‘Graduation Day,’ and surfing sounds.”
Wednesday August 5, 1964
Starlight Bowl, Burbank, CA- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:15 PM Show)
The photo is undated but may be from this show
Thursday August 6, 1964
Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV- with Eddie Hodges, the Kingsmen, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton (7:30 PM Show)
Friday August 7, 1964
Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix, AZ- with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (8:30 PM Show)
According to ArizonaCentral.com, prior to the concerts, the Beach Boys attended an autograph session at Govway, "a chain of discount stores that billed itself as Arizona’s largest membership department store, the day of the fairgrounds concert." A fan named Scott Salter attended the concert that night and noted to the website that, "Everybody was just Beach Boy nuts at the time. It was standing room only, I know that. I remember standing for it. It didn’t seem real fancy to me, though. There wasn’t any giant sound system or anything. They were pretty much up on a stage with amplifiers and guitars. And we just had a good time...The music was real authentic...It’s not like they changed it up much from their albums. I remember thinking, 'Oh boy, it really sounds like them, too.' And they looked like they did on the album covers." The photo was taken that night.
Saturday August 8, 1964
Russ Auditorium, San Diego HS, San Diego, CA - with Eddie Hodges, Jimmy Griffin and Lynne Easton and the Kingsmen (Two shows at 7:30 and 9:45 PM)
This was the last date of the Summer Safari tour. The San Diego Evening Tribune writer, who was obviously of the previous generation, complained about the loud volumes, but conceded that “The quintet…is more melodic than most of its contemporaries. The boys performed many of their million selling hits like ‘Surfing USA,’ ‘Little Deuce Coupe,’ ‘Don’t Worry Baby,’ and a newer hit, ‘Wendy.’ A highlight of the evening was Mike Love, one of the members, doing the ‘Monster Mash,’ bathed in an eerie, green light. The predominantly youthful audience responded enthusiastically as expected. A few elders in the crowd, though, had more of a blank, glazed expression on their faces.”
Saturday August 22, 1964
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA (Two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 PM)
I have yet to find a review of these shows, the BBs second visit to Pittsburgh.
Sunday August 23, 1964
Memorial Coliseum, Evansville, IN (8:30 PM Show)
This show was not discovered until after the publication of my book with Jon Stebbins The Beach Boys In Concert.
Monday August 24, 1964
Agricultural Hall, Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown, PA-with the Chevelles and Angie and the Citations (10:00 PM Show)
Advertisements erroneously listed this concert as “the Beach Boys first east coast appearance.” According to the ad, the Beach Boys were scheduled to play from 10 to 12 PM. Angie and the Citations were also on the bill and also played with the BBs the following night. They had a local hit with 'Dance Her By Me' on Angela Records.
Tuesday August 25, 1964
Lakewood Ballroom, Lakeside Park, Barnesville, PA-with the Chevelles and Angie and the Citations
This show was discovered after the publication of my book. This was the Beach Boys second appearance at this venue.
Friday August 28 and Saturday August 29, 1964
Spring Lake Amusement Park, Oklahoma City, OH (Three shows each day at 7:00, 8:30 and 10:00 PM)
The two 7:00 PM shows were broadcast live on WKY Radio. A filmed interview (which can be seen on YouTube) with the Beach Boys took place at Springlake Amusement Park on August 29, in-between concerts. Interviewer Ida Blackburn had a 43-year career in Oklahoma television. She created the program At Home with Ida in 1960 and it was retitled Dateline Hollywood in 1962 and The Ida B. Show in 1963. She was Oklahoma's first Hollywood correspondent and interviewed many big stars. She interviewed all the group members. Here is an excerpt: Ida Blackburn: Brian I understand that you’ve written many of the songs that you’ve recorded and made popular and many of them for others. Brian: I have. Jan and Dean, I’ve written several of their newest hits. Their latest hits, you know, since “Surf City” I’ve written all of those. Ida: Well in writing songs for other people are you still doing this? Brian: Well not as heavily. I don’t really have a chance. We’re on the road quite a bit now and when I have a chance I’m so busy doing Beach Boys work that I’m sort of limiting myself to Beach Boys. Ida: Do you feel most people know that you have brothers and cousins in your troop? Brian: Well, I hope so by now. Three brothers, a cousin and a neighbor. Ida: When you write a song for yourself or for your group, what gives you the incentive to write them? Brian: Well, usually just the fact that we’re in the industry and there’s a lot of groups competing with us and I feel that competition and I love music and I get very inspired. I’m just generally creative anyways. I just do it all the time.
Wednesday September 2, 1964
Kleinhan’s Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
The Buffalo News reviewer Nell Lawson wrote, “They rate first class as showmen…Their own compositions took up half of the program including Fun, Fun, Fun, Little Old Lady, Little Deuce Coupe (about an automobile) and ‘Runaway.’ They invited and got roaring audience participation for ‘Let’s Go Trippin,’ (and) scared the girls into near hysteria with ‘The Monster Mash.’ The coup de grace was a fast beat, ‘Wanderin.’ (The Wanderer) What would Sigmund Freud have made of it all?”
Thursday September 3, 1964
MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse, NY –with Carmen & the Vikings and the Treblemen (8:00 PM Show)
Friday September 4, 1964
Surf Ballroom, Nantasket Beach, Hull, MA (Two shows at 7:30 and 10:30 PM)
The Beach Boys returned to the venue they played on their August 1963 tour.
Saturday September 5, 1964
Bushnell Memorial, Hartford, CT (8:00 PM Show)
Friday September 11 and Saturday September 12, 1964
Lagoon, Farmington, UT
Sunday September 13, 1964
Grand Central Store, Boise, ID-with Dick Cates and the Chessmen and Boise High School Auditorium, Boise, ID (Two shows at 6:30 and 9:00 PM)
Thursday September 17, 1964
Cameo Theater, Miami, FL
Although Keith Badman listed this venue in his book and we chose to list it in ours as well, I have never found any evidence to confirm that this show took place at the Cameo Theatre. It is clear, however, that the Beach Boys were scheduled to start this leg of their tour in Miami. I could find no advertisements for this show in any newspaper.
Friday September 18, 1964
Alabama State Coliseum, Montgomery, AL-with Jan & Dean, Ronnie & the Daytonas, Bobby Wood, Don Gibson, Ace Cannon, Norma Jean, Jerry Wallace, Travis Wommack, Porter Waggoner and the Chartbusters (8:00 PM Show)
Saturday September 19, 1964
Municipal Auditorium, Birmingham, AL -with Jan & Dean, Ronnie & the Daytonas, Bobby Wood, Don Gibson, Ace Cannon, Norma Jean, Jerry Wallace, Travis Wommack and the Chartbusters (Three shows at 2:00, 6:00 and 9:30 PM)
Sunday September 20, 1964
City Auditorium, Atlanta, GA (3:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys first Atlanta appearance was witnessed by an exuberant crowd. The Macon News reported, “Thunderous applause welcomed them, and when Dennis tossed one of his drumsticks out into the audience, the fans simply went wild. At the concert the Beach Boys sang such favorites as ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ ‘Little Old Lady from Pasadena,’ ‘Surfer Girl,’ ‘409,’ ‘Runaway,’ ‘Surfin USA,’ ‘Louie Louie,’ ‘Wendy,’ ‘Shut Down,’ ‘Little Honda,’ ‘Hushabye,’ ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ and ‘Graduation Day.’ After they sang ‘Monster Mash’ and ‘Long Tall Texan,’ complete with a ‘show-down’. ‘I Get Around,’ their best seller to date, having sold over one and half million discs, was included twice in their…performance. The minute the concert was ended, stocking footed girls with shoes in hand began briskly sprinting down Piedmont Avenue towards the motel where the Beach Boys were registered in hopes of getting just one more glimpse…On stage the Beach Boys were impeccably dressed in grey and white wide striped shirts, gray stove-pipe trousers and gray suede boots.”
Monday September 21, 1964
Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN (8:00 PM Show)
Tuesday September 22, 1964
Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN (8:00 PM Show)
Brian Wilson was hot to record a new song he had written called “Dance, Dance, Dance,” so the Beach Boys held a recording session at the Columbia Studios prior to this show. This alternate version of the song stayed in the vaults till 1990 when it appeared on the CD of Today/Summer Days as a bonus track. A photo from the session appeared in the October 17 edition of Billboard.
Wednesday September 23, 1964
Alexandria Roller Rink, Alexandria, VA-with the Mugwumps and Steve Alaimo (7:00 PM Show)
Over 3,500 fans attended the Beach Boys first Washington DC area performance. It was fairly common at concerts during this period for fans to throw presents on stage for the groups. After finding out that the Beatles liked candy, fans threw tons of it on stage throughout their 1964 tour. The Beach Boys had similar experiences with their fans on this tour. Carl told a reporter, “In Alexandria, VA, which was really a show and a half, you couldn’t see the floor for the candy.”
Ronnie Oberman from the Washington Star interviewed the Beach Boys backstage after this show. Brian told Oberman that the group was finished singing about surf and cars: “It’s served its purpose to help create our image. It’s now a thing of the past. As far as crazes are concerned, if you base overall existence too much on the craze, pretty soon the emphasis is on the craze rather than on the group. Since we moved out of the craze thing, more emphasis can be put on us as a group.... We now want to go in the direction of the big beat and hard rock with lyrics that don’t limit themselves to one specific thing.”
Thursday September 24, 1964
Loew’s State Theater, Providence, RI (8:15 PM Show)
Following this show, the group headed to New York, where they took part in rehearsals at CBS Television Studios the next day for their upcoming appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show and attended a luncheon in their honor, thrown by Capitol Records, at the Gaslight Club.
Saturday September 26, 1964
West Orange National Guard Armory, West Orange, NJ-with the Ubans, the Fairlanes, the Creations and Carol Summers (8:30 PM show)
In between Friday rehearsals and the Sunday night live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the group squeezed in one more concert appearance, their last of the tour. According to AP reporter Mary Campbell, at this show “the audience was nearly as frenzied as a Beatles audience. Dennis, shaking his long hair while drumming, was clearly the favorite.” New Jersey native Chip Rachlin, later to become the Beach Boys’ booking agent, still regrets not attending this show because the concert apparently ended in a wild riot, which local fans still recall fondly
Friday October 16, 1964
Civic Auditorium, San Jose, CA-with the Tikis (8:30 PM Show)
The photograph was taken at the gig by a fan.
Saturday October 17, 1964
Civic Auditorium, Bakersfield, CA-with the Avengers
This gig was incorrectly listed in my book as taking place in Long Beach.
Sunday October 18, 1964
Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, ID-with the Echelons and the So and Sos (Two shows at 2:00 and 8:00 PM)
The Beach Boys flew to Boise and drove to the MHAFB near Mountain Home to play for the members of the Air Force. Photos taken that day show that the group tuned in that night to the Ed Sullivan Show to catch the American TV debut of the Animals. The Strata Courier reported, "Mountain Home AFB was rocking to the rhythms of the Beach Boys Sunday October 18. The Boys gave two tremendous shows at the Base Gym. Attendance by the many teenagers from all over this area was evidence that the Beach Boys are one of the most popular singing groups in the nation." The next day the BBs attended a brunch at the home of Lt. Col. James Gatch before flying home.
Friday October 23, 1964
Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA-with the Tikis
This gig was discovered by Andrew Doe after the publication of my book. The Foothill Sentinel reported, "More than 2,000 squealing teenage girls had campus police and sheriff's deputies hopping last Friday night as the Young Republicans sponsored a concert by the Beach Boys, a name surf-style music group."
A show scheduled for Chico State College on October 24 was canceled. The show was sponsored by Campus Republicans but the sponsors failed to obtain permission to use the auditorium. The BBs may also have played shows at Contra Costa College and at UC Berkeley as part of this “four-date tour” but as of yet I have found no confirmation.
Wednesday October 28 and Thursday October 29, 1964
TAMI Show, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA-with Jan and Dean, Chuck Berry, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, the Supremes, James Brown and The Rolling Stones (Rehearsals on Wednesday and 6:00 to 10:00 PM Show on Thursday)
Bill Sargent, who had achieved success offering closed circuit screenings of major sports events to theaters, organized the Teenage Music International (TAMI) Show. The idea was to film a major rock concert and release it as a theatrical film. The show would be filmed in Electronovision, a new camera process created by Joseph Bluth that had higher resolution than regular television cameras.
Artists from all different genres of pop music, including 50’s rock, Motown, R & B and British Invasion bands were invited to appear. The Beach Boys’ friends Jan and Dean were hired to be emcees for the show. Steve Binder, who later directed the Elvis 68 Comeback Special, was hired as the film’s director and Jack Nietzsche, who had worked with Phil Spector, was hired as the show’s music arranger. Members of Spector’s “Wrecking Crew,” which would soon be employed by Brian, were hired as the house band.
The acts rehearsed for two days. On the first night they stayed at a local hotel, but huge crowds swarmed outside and most of the acts chose to sleep at the Auditorium on the second night. The producers insisted that the performers play three shows (one concert each night in front of a live audience and one additional show with no audience) so that they would have multiple takes to choose from. However, ultimately only the footage shot at the live concert on October 29 was used in the finished film. The Beach Boys performed four songs: “Surfin USA,” “Surfer Girl,” “I Get Around,” and “Dance, Dance, Dance.” They also took part in the closing number “Get Together,” for which all the acts crowded onto the stage and danced.
The finished film was screened in California starting in mid-November and released nationally on December 29, 1964. The film was highly successful and remained in theaters through the first half of 1965. After its initial release, the Beach Boys footage was cut from the film due to contractual issues. When Dick Clark Productions acquired rights to the film and released it on home video the Beach Boys footage was missing. It was not re-inserted until the film’s DVD release in 2010, though most of the cut-footage appeared in Beach Boys documentaries.
Friday October 30, 1964
Memorial Auditorium, Worcester, MA (8:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys flew to Boston on Friday afternoon to play one more show, before flying on to Europe on Saturday night. The concert ended up being one of the wildest and most memorable in their career. Fans rioted and the police stopped the show after 14 minutes. After a series of local acts, the Beach Boys went onstage around 9:45 PM. Jack Tubert of the Worcester Telegram reported, “After only two bars of ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ two girls were out of their seats. Then six, eight and finally a wave of girls surged to the stage. The 11 policemen were powerless to stop them…the show was stopped at 9:54 p.m. Dick Smith, the master of ceremonies, urged the youngsters to return to their seats so the show could continue. At 10:11, the Beach Boys took off again and within seconds the area in front of the stage was more crowded than it had been before. At 10:16 the curtain came down for good.' During the show, hundreds of teen-agers who had no tickets rioted outside. They broke windows and kicked in two doors. The promoter of the show was furious at the police for stopping the show and claimed that the Beach Boys would never play there again, but in the end the group returned to play a full show in February 1965.
Wednesday, November 18, 1964
Olympia, Paris, France-with Dick Rivers and Monty
The Beach Boys spent the night of October 30 in Boston then boarded a flight to London on October 31 to begin a twenty-three day promotional tour of Europe. Five people, including their manager Don Rice, friend/roadie Ron Swallow and writer Earl Leaf, who wrote a number of articles about the tour for various magazines, accompanied them. The Beach Boys spent eight days in the United Kingdom, making promotional appearances and giving interviews. However, they performed no concerts in the UK on this tour. On November 9, 1964 the group headed off to Paris, where they taped a few television appearances. The Beach Boys mimed to “I Get Around” and “When I Grow Up” on the popular show Age Tendre Et Tete de Bois hosted by Albert Raisner ( aired Nov 10). At the beginning of the “I Get Around” segment, Dennis Wilson strolled across the set carrying a surfboard, while the group was starting the song, thus making it obvious to all that they were not playing live. He then quickly raced back to his drum kit. During a break from taping that show, the Beach Boys popped out for a brief visit to Montmartre Tertre Square that was filmed for the TV show Au Dela de L’ecran. They were filmed admiring some artists at work and gave a brief interview, which consisted mainly of the Beach Boys asking the host to translate various French phrases that they saw on storefronts. The interview ended when the Beach Boys asked what “glace” was. When they were told it was ice cream, they all ran off to buy some in a clearly well rehearsed bit. While in Paris the Beach Boys posed for the camera of Earl Leaf at various Parisian landmarks. Leaf, who considered himself a man of the world, took the group to museums, restaurants and clubs, including the famous Follies Bergere. Brian was less than impressed by the latter. Discussing the tour with Leaf for a spoken word track on the Today album a few months later, Brian stated, “I can take good entertainment but when it comes to that French burlesque let me out!” The group then visited Italy and Germany before returning to France for their first European concert.
Parisian audiences were legendary for being difficult to please and even the Beatles had trouble eliciting much enthusiasm from the audience when they played there earlier in the year, so the Beach Boys were nervous. According to Earl Leaf, when the show began “The curtain’s parted and they saw five front rows of stony faced over-agers with folded arms and cold eyes- the press critics and reviewers…The Boys began to play and sing their hearts out. Instead of four or five numbers in twenty minutes like the Beatles…the BB’s spurted 16 great power-packed swing songs at the huge Olympia Hall audience…excitement mounting with each song. Soon the customers were dancing in the aisles and standing in their seats writhing and wriggling to the beat. By the end of the show, the throng was out of their gourds. Even the un-cool press corps was standing, shouting and pounding their palms to a din.” The get-away was almost as wild. Leaf recalled, “the stage entrance, situated in a very narrow street, was packed with Beach Boys fans. The two taxis waiting for the boys couldn’t move. The lead cab driver got out of his taxi and tried to push the girls out of the way, but they almost tore him apart. In due course, inch by inch, however, they moved through the mob.”
Saturday, November 21, 1964
Koncerthuset, Stockholm, Sweden-with Jackie de Shannon, Jan Rohde & the Wild Ones and the Mascots (8:00 PM Show)
Following their return trip to France, the Beach Boys headed to Sweden for more promotion.On November 21, the group performed their second and last live concert of the tour at the Koncerthuset. The show was simulcast on the radio as well. According to Earl Leaf, the Swedish audiences received the Beach Boys very well. “During the performance gaggles of girls ran up on the stage to grab their favorite, wrenching Carl Wilson’s neck, tearing Brian Wilson’s shirt, biting Alan Jardine’s cheek and grabbing Mike’s legs, almost toppling him to the floor. When one Swede-heart hurled herself at Dennis Wilson and sent his drum sticks flying, he has to finish the show beating the skins with his bare hands."The reviewer for the Stockholm newspaper Aftonbladet was more enamored by Jackie de Shannon and wrote, “Beach Boys and Jackie de Shannon was the subject for Saturday night’s usually dapper pop show at Koncerthuset. But a reversed playing order would have been fairer. Jackie…really got the show to take off. Despite a fever and a bad cold, she was on her own radiating more electricity than all five Beach Boys together.” The next day, the Beach Boys headed off to Copenhagen, Denmark for a “quickie holiday."
Wednesday November 25, 1964
Auditorium Theater, Rochester, NY (Two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 PM)
Rather than returning home for some rest, the Beach Boys flew from Denmark to New York, having agreed to play a few more dates in the States. Dennis told a radio DJ at a promo appearance at a record store in Rochester: “I had a problem because I guess I’m not…. I’m glad to be back. I can’t make it in other countries. I dig America. I don’t dig their food, their weather…I don’t dig girls that don’t shave their underarms. I don’t dig their milk-its rancid. I don’t dig wine. So I’m lost. They have Coke, which is warm. They don’t serve beer cold unless you’re in a good place. They pull it off a shelf. I don’t dig their television shows. They take too long-like 6 hrs for a 30-minute TV show. I don’t dig Germany…. But I love Europe!!!” Brian was also interviewed. Brian commented on Europe: “I loved it. We got a lot of sightseeing in. For instance we saw a lot of Rome, Germany, France, Italy...Oh Italy is Rome right.” Brian on working with other artists: “I work with Jan and Dean a lot. I collaborated with Jan Berry on all their hits.” On working with other artists: “I really don’t try to write for many other people. I enjoy writing, mostly for the Beach Boys because I am sort of proud…. I don’t think its good to exploit…thin out our success by spreading it to a lot of artists especially when it is a Beach Boys type song. My feeling and style for music comes out through our group and when I write for other people usually I can’t help but have a flavor of what the Beach Boys come out with so it comes out like our music. Therefore the guys don’t like to hear our song with other people. It bugs them.” On the Beatles: “We didn’t meet the Beatles. We were busy when they were. We’re doing a Christmas tour of the east and a Bob Hope Spectacular in December. We’re generally very busy.”
Thursday November 26, 1964
Arena, New Haven, CT
This show was not advertised in the newspaper but Carl Wilson discussed the show in an interview he gave the night before in Rochester. The photo was taken in London at a TV taping in November
Friday November 27, 1964
Cleveland Arena, Cleveland, OH-with the Shangri-Las, Jay and the Americans, Ivan and the Sabers, the Grasshoppers, Joey and the Continentals, Rocky and the Visions, the Tulu Babies, the Uniques and the Sensations (2:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys returned to Cleveland for the second time that year. Despite the great talent on the bill, only 2, 568 fans turned out for the concert. Those that did attend blamed the high-ticket prices for the small crowd (tickets ranged from $2.50 to $4.50). The promoters were forced to charge more for the tickets because of the large amount of money they had spent to hire 71 policemen to do security. The Plains Dealer reported, “nine patrolmen made a living barrier across the front of the floor to keep over eager photographers back during the Beach Boys’ act.”
Saturday November 28, 1964
Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI-with the Shangri-Las, Jay and the Americans and Gino Washington
The Beach Boys first visit to Detroit was not altogether pleasant. As Brian related to Earl Leaf a few months later, “We finally got to Detroit and were at the airport and about sixteen people in different cars came to help us take our luggage to the hotel and we get to the hotel and it was time to take our luggage out of the cars and put it in and about six of the suitcases were gone…The ones with all the gifts we brought back from Europe. I lost about 1,500 dollars… There was nobody to hit. Somebody had a good Christmas.”
Sunday November 29, 1964
Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH-with Jan and Dean, Jay and the Americans, the Shangri-Las and Ron Britain (Canceled)
This show was canceled at the last minute due to poor ticket sales and the Beach Boys flew home to California.
Friday December 18, 1964
Music Hall, Houston, TX-with the Detours
The group should have been on top of the world but their leader Brian was finding all the traveling and attention difficult. He complained to writer Sidney Scoop that “Beach Boys is a big business; not as big business as Beatles, mind you, but big business nevertheless. We’re the top selling group in this country (at the moment anyway) and the more popular we get, the less freedom we have.” Always more comfortable at home, Brian was beginning to really feel the pressure of the relentless touring. As Fred Vail remarked, “Brian was an introvert in an extroverted industry. Brian never got a charge out of doing live events. I don’t think Brian ever really appreciated the adulation and the roar of the crowd until he started his solo career (in the 90s). Brian hated to fly and he wasn’t an extroverted guy.” He began suffering panic attacks before show time. Indeed, Ron Swallow recalled a number of occasions when he had to track down Brian and get him onstage at curtain time. On one such occasion, Ron found him hiding in a bathroom stall, shaking and saying, “I can’t do it.” Ron would coax him onto the stage, where Carl was waiting to help him strap his bass on. Once onstage Brian was always fine and professional, but it was evident to those around him that he was not happy.
On December 18, 1964 the group boarded a flight from Los Angeles to Houston to start another tour, but problems developed soon after take-off. An over worked and emotionally exhausted Brian finally snapped on the plane ride and suffered his first nervous breakdown. When the band finally made it to Houston, Ron Swallow recalled Brian crying uncontrollably in his hotel room. But as Brian related a few months later to writer Earl Leaf, “That night I cooled off and I played that show. Next morning, I woke up with the biggest knot in my stomach and I felt like I was going out of my mind. In other words, it was a breakdown period.” The next day, Brian headed back to California. Carl told the BBC in 1974 that “He just really got upset and he just had to leave. I think that’s what people call his first nervous breakdown. He was just holding it in and it just came out and he said ‘No, I can’t do it and I’m stopping.’ And that was it. It was a thing where it hurt his ears because he can only hear in his left ear. The high sound pressure level was just too much.” While the amplifiers effect on his ears certainly contributed to the decision, Marilyn Wilson believed that the main reason Brian left the road “at the beginning was because he couldn’t write and tour at the same time. Touring it’s a hectic life. It’s really hard and Brian, that’s not his makeup. He had to be home and he had to write and get all the vibrations from everywhere in order to, you know, do his thing…and we’d just got married which also helped, you know.” Though the group had no way of knowing it, Brian had made the decision to permanently stop appearing with the group on stage. Although he filled in for a week in February 1965 and occasionally played an important concert or two after that, he would not return full time to touring until 1976.
Previous books (including my own) erroneously dated this show to December 23, based on an article in which Brian stated that his breakdown occurred “a few days before Christmas”. However, the Houston Post was digitized in 2023 and noted that the show took place five days earlier. As was quite common at the time, the concert was not reviewed. However, a fan wrote in to complain about the lack of press coverage of her favorite band and noted that the concert was “a complete success.” The photo shows the band rehearsing for their appearance on the ABC TV show Shindig, which was taped on December 14. The BBs sang live over taped tracks-Dance, Dance, Dance, Little Saint Nick, Monster Mash, Papa Oom Mow -Mow, Johnny B Good and the holiday carol We Three Kings of Orient
Saturday December 19, 1964
Assembly Center Arena, Tulsa, OK (8:30 PM Show)
This show was canceled because "of illness of one of the performers." Brian had flown home with Ron Swallow, so this show and a show in Little Rock the next night were postponed. The Beach Boys made up both dates in February 1965.
Sunday December 20, 1964
Auditorium, Little Rock, AR
This show was canceled due to Brian’s illness. Ultimately the group made up the date in February 1965.
Monday December 21, 1964
Jackson, MS (canceled)
Tuesday December 22, 1964
Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, TX
This show marked the first concert appearance of Glen Campbell in place of Brian Wilson. Glen recalled in 1975, “I first played with the group in Dallas and made two million mistakes." The group flew home for Christmas and were informed that Glen would be playing the remaining scheduled post-holiday shows in place of Brian.
Sunday December 27, 1964
City Auditorium, Omaha, NE-with the Megatones and the Royal Flairs (4:00 PM Show)
Fans that attended the Beach Boys Omaha concert were informed that Brian had “a sore throat.” Steve Jordon and his band the Megatones were one of a number of local bands that opened for the Beach Boys at this concert. He later recalled, “There were no special arrangements for the stars in those days. No bottles of imported beer or luxuries. The locker room was just a locker room with benches to sit on and wait. So the Beach Boys…were sitting on the benches and waiting with the rest of us. Carl Wilson was the personable member of the group that night, strumming a guitar while he chatted with inquisitive musicians from the local bands.” Jordon noted that when the Beach Boys went onstage, “From behind the music was very simple. Drummer Dennis Wilson didn’t seem any great shakes and it was hard to hear the singing. But it was easy to hear the audience. They went wild. The atmosphere was like a party.”
Monday December 28, 1964
KRNT Theater, Des Moines, IA (8:30 PM Show)
Tuesday December 29, 1964
Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN-with the Fantastic Four Wheels and Sir Richard and the Mark IV’s
Wednesday December 30, 1964
Kentucky State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Louisville, KY-with Lonnie Mack, the Newbeats and the Monarchs (8:00 PM Show)
Jay and the Americans were initially advertised as appearing with the Beach Boys, but Jay Black was involved in an automobile accident, so the group did not appear.
Thursday December 31, 1964
Coliseum, Charlotte, NC-with the Galaxies (8:30 PM Show)
